Patience
by naley1285
Summary: Haley James had a past and moved to Tree Hill in the hope of erasing it from her memory and had no plans to fall in love again. Until Nathan Scott came along. Will he be able to erase her scars and make her believe in love again?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, as you may have guessed this is my new Naley story. Don't worry I'm not abandoning "Ashes & Wine" at all. I guess I'll have to juggle between these two. Lol. This story is different from "Always & Forever" and "Ashes & Wine" and you'll see why as you read along. I hope you guys will like it. Let me know if you do, and even if you don't, let me know too so I'll know what I did wrong. Cheers!**

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Chapter 1

Haley James watched the moving men unload her things from the truck, although there wasn't much to unload in the first place. She had left most of her things behind thinking she would never be able to look at them again without remembering what had happened to her. And a lot had happened to her. A lot more than she told her friends and family back in Los Angeles. At least what little of her friends that she had left. She closed her eyes momentarily as she tried to block the memories that had come flooding back. _Will this pain ever go away?_ she thought silently.

"Hi there. Are you moving in?" she jumped at the sound of a voice and opened her eyes. Standing before her was a man with sandy blond hair who had his arm around a pretty girl who had dimples in her cheeks when she smiled.

"No, I'm just moving in my stuff for fun," she said sarcastically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just been a long day. Yeah, I'm just moving in today."

The man looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I'm Lucas. Lucas Scott. And this is my wife, Brooke Davis. Well, Brooke Davis Scott," he said and looked at Brooke adoringly before giving her a soft peck on her cheek.

Brooke smiled and held out her hand. "Hi. Sorry about my husband. We just got married. And you are?"

"Haley James."

"Well, Haley James. Welcome to Tree Hill. We live next door by the way and we saw the moving truck. So we decided to drop by," Brooke said with her eyes twinkling.

Haley looked at her with amazement. "Wow, Brooke. Are you always this happy?"

Brooke grinned at her. "Yeah, most of the time. What's there not to be happy about?"

_A lot of things, _Haley thought. "Well, thanks for stopping by."

It was Lucas's turn to speak. "Do you need help? I think you could use some extra hands," he offered.

Haley bit her bottom lip. She could use their help but that would mean letting them in her house and inevitably in her life. And she wasn't sure she was ready for that. "No, it's ok. Thanks for offering though."

"Ok, you know where we live if you need anything," Lucas said before linking his arm with Brooke's and headed back home.

"So what do you think of Haley James?" Brooke asked Lucas as she unlocked their door.

"I dunno. There's something about her. Like she's hiding something," Lucas said.

"Well, you're right. But I like her."

"Of course you do, Pretty Girl. You like everybody," he said giving her a kiss. That was what attracted him to her. Her big heart.

* * *

Haley looked around at the mess in her house and sighed. _Well, I guess it's too late to ask for Lucas and Brooke's help now. _She started to take her things out from the clutter of boxes around her when eyes caught a picture frame. Picking it up, she traced the picture of her and another man. She almost didn't recognize herself in the picture. She had the biggest smile on her face in it. _Well, that girl is long gone,_ she said silently before throwing the picture in the trash.

An hour later she was almost done except for a few bits and pieces and gave a satisfactory look at her new home. _I need a walk, _she thought. She walked along the streets of Tree Hill, taking in the smell of the new place. She watched the leaves fall in the autumn breeze and pulled her jacket closer. Without looking where she was going, she crashed into another body.

"Whoa! Are you ok?" she heard the sound of deep throaty voice. Looking up, her brown eyes met the deepest shade of blue she had ever seen.

Her cheeks turned bright pink as she managed to stammer, "I'm fine. I'm sorry. I should have looked where I was going."

"I've never seen you around here before. You must be new in town. I'm Nathan Scott."

"Yeah, I just moved in today. Did you say Nathan Scott? I'm neighbours with Lucas Scott. Are you guys related?"

Nathan laughed. "Yeah, he's my brother. So you've met him and Brooke, huh? Well, it looks like I'll be seeing you a lot then."

"What? Why?" she said panic rising in her voice.

"I'm like a permanent fixture at Lucas's house. I drop by almost every day. What did you say your name was?" he asked.

"I didn't," Haley said before turning away. "I gotta go. I'll see you around," she said and left, giving Nathan no chance to say anything else.

Nathan watched her walk away. Something about her intrigued him. Why was she worried when he said that they would be seeing each other more often? And the way she dodged him when he asked for her name. But one thing's for sure. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life until now.

* * *

It was almost dark when she walked through the small town, familiarizing herself with the names of the streets and the shops. She stopped outside a cafe and looked up. _Karen's Cafe. _She needed a drink anyway and walked through the door. She looked around and almost smiled at the interior of the cafe. It looked so welcoming and cozy that she felt like she never wanted to leave. She chose a small table and sat down.

"Hi sweetie. Would you like to order?" she looked up and saw a petite woman holding an order chit.

"Hi, I'm new here. What would you suggest?" she asked.

"Well, since I own this cafe, I suggest everything," the woman said, grinning.

"You're Karen?"

"Yeah, Karen Scott."

Haley's eyes bulged open at the mention of her surname. "Another Scott?"

Karen looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"

Haley's cheeks turned crimson with embarrassment. "Sorry, I just met two Scotts in one day, it's a bit too bizarre for me."

"Which ones? Lucas? Nathan? Dan?" Karen asked.

"There's a Dan Scott?"

Karen laughed. "Yeah, Dan's my husband. Lucas and Nathan are our sons."

"Oh," Haley said, remembering the blue eyed Nathan Scott. "So anyway, I'm pretty hungry. What do you recommend?"

"Well, the chicken pot pie is pretty good, if I may say so myself. But you'd better hurry up and order that if you want it. My sons will be coming in soon for dinner today and that will be the first thing they ask for."

Haley was torn between staying and leaving. For some reason, the thought of seeing Nathan again unnerved her. On the other hand, she was too tired to make herself dinner. Making up her mind she said, "I'll have the chicken pot pie then. Thanks Karen."

She waited silently for her order to arrive while trying her hardest not too look at the door every time a new customer came in. "Here you go," Karen said a few minutes later, placing a bowl of steaming hot chicken pot pie in front of her. The smell itself was enough to make Haley drool.

"Thank you Karen. This smells so good. I'm Haley by the way," she said.

"You're welcome Haley," Karen said, smiling. She was very taken with the girl sitting in front of her. She could sense a vulnerability in her and could tell that she was sad, although she tried to hide it. "Oh here comes my boys," she said nodding towards the door.

Haley's heart hammered in her chest as she watched Nathan enter, with Lucas, Brooke and another girl with curly blonde hair close behind. She watched Nathan walked over to Karen and gave her a hug. "Hi, mom," she heard him say. "Where's Dad?"

"He's still got work at the dealership. He'll pick me up later," Karen said.

Feeling that somebody was watching their exchange, Nathan looked down to see Haley who pretended to look away. "Hey, new girl."

"Nathan, don't be rude. She has a name. Sorry about Nathan, Haley."

_Haley._ He whispered her name softly.

"It's ok Karen," she said to older woman.

"Hey, Luke. Look who's here. It's your friendly new neighbour, Haley," Nathan said, calling his brother over.

Lucas walked over to the table, pulling Brooke along with her, who in turned pulled the curly blonde girl.

"Hey, Haley. I see you're trying out my mom's chicken pot pie. Good choice. Mind if we join you?" Lucas asked. Before she could answer, the whole gang pulled up chairs and sat around her table, with Nathan sitting right across her.

"Hi Haley, Brooke told me about you. My name's Peyton Sawyer," the curly blonde haired girl said as she offered her hand.

Haley took her hand. "Hi." She could feel Nathan's eyes boring down on her, watching her every move. She wondered if Peyton and Nathan were a couple but she quickly brushed it off her mind. _Why would I care anyway?_

"So, how do you find Tree Hill so far?" Peyton asked her.

"It's quiet," Haley said.

Brooke laughed. "Yeah, it can be but it's a nice place to stay. Hey, how about me and Peyton take you around town tomorrow. Come on, it'll be fun."

Peyton looked at Haley warningly. "You'd better watch yourself, Haley. Brooke's idea of fun is a three-hour shopping marathon."

"True, but you have to admit, it is fun."

Haley picked at her food and carefully said, "I'm sorry Brooke. I can't. I have to look for work tomorrow."

While all this was going on, not once did Nathan take his eyes off her. He felt even more intrigued by her. It seemed to her that she had moved to Tree Hill in a hurry, without even looking for a job before she came.

"If you want, I can help you with that. What were you doing before you came here?" Nathan said.

"I was a teacher a few years ago but I quit when I got married a couple of years back," she bit her tongue as soon as she said the words, knowing she had said too much.

"You were married?" Nathan asked inquiringly. He felt a wave of disappointment, although he didn't see a wedding ring on her finger, nor was there a husband in sight. "So, where's your husband?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Haley said hurriedly and started to get up. "It was really nice to meet you guys," she said and practically ran to the door. Once outside, she placed a hand on her chest and could feel her heart beating so fast. She took in deep breaths to calm her down. She felt a tear threatening to fall and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them and started walking in the direction of her house.

"Hey, wait up," Nathan's voice was heard as he caught up with her. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," he said apologetically. Haley nodded without saying anything. "Come on, I'll walk you home. I promise I won't say anything." Still there was silence. _Well, at least she didn't say no._

They walked in silence for quite a long time before he spoke up, "Hales, I know I promised I wouldn't say anything, but are you ok?"

She turned away to hide the tear that had started to fall. Hales. Nathan was the second person to call her that. She quickly wiped away the tear so he wouldn't notice. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, when in fact she wasn't fine. She was far from being fine. She felt a rush of emotions as as she felt her fingers become wet from her tears. She felt a surge of relief when they stopped in front of her house. "Thanks for walking me home," she said quietly. "I'm sorry you had to miss dinner."

Nathan laughed. "It's ok. I have a feeling there'll be some food from my mom on my kitchen counter when I get home."

She played with the keys in her hands. "Tell your mom her pie was really good. I'm sorry I didn't finish it. I just-"

"Haley, you don't have to explain yourself," Nathan said, stopping her midway. As much as he was curious to know what had made her bolt before, he knew that if he pushed her, she would close up again.

She looked at him. "Thank you, Nathan."

He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. By the way, my offer still stands. I can help you look for a job tomorrow. In fact, I know that Tree Hill High is looking for an English teacher right now."

"Really? How did you know?" she asked him.

"Well, it is a small town. Besides, I work there too. Me and Lucas coach the Tree Hill Ravens, the basketball team. So how about it? I can even put in a good word with Principal Turner for you."

"But you don't even know me," Haley said.

"I know that you need help, and that's what I'm doing. Helping you out. So how about I pick you up tomorrow on my way to school? Say around eight?"

Haley nodded. "Ok, thanks," she said, although every nerve of her being was screaming for her to say no. "Goodnight Nathan."

"Goodnight Haley. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, smiling at her. He could have sworn that there were traces of tears on her beautiful face, but chose not say anything about it. He watched her walk into her house and closed her door. He stood there for a few more minutes before walking away with his hands in his pockets.

Once inside her house, Haley closed the door behind her and slid down to the floor as her feet gave way beneath her. She could feel her fingers trembling and wished she hadn't agreed to Nathan's invitation. She slowly got up and walked over to her trash and picked up the picture frame that she threw earlier. She could still feel the presence of the man in the photo. She traced the outline of his face and saw a drop of tear fall on the glass frame. Before she knew it, she was sobbing as she felt all the hurt and the pain that she had tried to suppress surface. _I can still feel you around me, Steve,_ she thought as she continued to sob.

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**So what do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello guys! As always you guys are awesome with all your reviews. I'm glad you're liking this story so far. I was kinda nervous when the idea came to my head initially but you guys made me think that I worried over nothing LOL. So here's the new chapter. I hope you'll like it. Leave me some love guys. Cheers!**

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Chapter 2

Haley woke up with a start at the sound of the alarm clock blaring in her ears. 7 a.m. the clock read. With a yawn she reluctantly pulled back the covers, sat up and switched off the alarm. She didn't get much sleep last night. She kept having the usual nightmares that had been her faithful companion for the last year. She closed her eyes wearily. _Will it ever go away? Why can't you leave me alone, Steve? _Remembering that Nathan would pick her up in an hour, she quickly made her way to the shower. She set the water temperature to her usual warm and let the water drench her, wishing it could wash away her pain.

She thought about her life before she came to Tree Hill. About the times she spent in the shower scrubbing herself raw, sometimes making her skin bleed. She thought about her life now. She thought about Nathan Scott. She thought of how easily she could easily drown in those deep blue eyes. And if she did, would she able to resurface and breathe again. She looked at her fingers which had gone wrinkly. She looked down at her body that had hid so much pain. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up, letting the rush of water hit her face. After a few minutes, she finally stepped out and watched the water flow into the drain, thinking that it would be nice if only that were her life two years ago that was washed away.

After managing to find the most decent piece of outfit to wear and was finally satisfied with her appearance, she walked over to the kitchen to make coffee. Just as she was about to switch the coffee maker on, the door bell rang making her jump. Opening the door, she found Nathan standing holding a paperbag in one hand, and newspaper on the other.

"Good morning. I know I'm early. Bagels? And I brought today's newspaper, just in case you're thinking of looking for other jobs," he said. Sensing her wariness towards his gestures, he continued, "I didn't mean to be presumptuous, I just thought that since today is only your second day in a strange new place, every little helps."

Haley quickly recovered her composure. She could feel her body tingle just by being in his presence. "Sorry, I just didn't expect you to be here this early. Thank you. I was just making coffee. Would you like some?" she asked surprising herself.

Nathan was equally surprised by the invitation although that didn't stop himself from accepting it. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." He made his away over to the table and sat down. "Where shall I put this?" he asked indicating the bag of bagels.

"Oh let me get you a plate. Here you go," she said, handing him an empty plate. She poured them coffee and sat down silently, unsure of what to do or even say.

Nathan looked at her and handed the plate of bagels to her. "You should eat something. Here, have one. It's the best. I know for sure coz it came from the one and only Karen's Cafe," he said grinning.

She grinned back. "Is there anything your mom can't do? She's pretty amazing."

"Yeah, she is. My dad too. They've been married since forever and they still look so in love, it can get pretty disgusting at times." Haley fell silent at his words. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Nathan asked.

"No, you didn't. I'm just-" She let the words hung in the air. "You're lucky, Nathan."

"And you are a very complicated girl, Haley. What are you hiding? What are you running from?" he asked her bluntly.

She stared at her coffee, unable to meet his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," he said challenging her. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Ok look Haley, I'm just trying to be a friend here. I find it easier to survive in a new place when you have friends."

"I didn't ask for your help," she said quietly.

"Well, I'm offering it anyway, so whether you like it or not, there it is. And it would be nice to know a little bit about yourself along the way too," Nathan said.

"Thank you for your offer. I think we should go," Haley said and got up. She walked to the door and held the door open, indicating her unwillingness to continue their conversation.

Nathan held up his hands in surrender and said, "ok I get the hint. Let's go."

They rode in silence. Once in a while Nathan would steal glances at her. Suddenly, she surprised him by being the first one to break the silence.

"I'm from LA. I've been living there my whole life, well until I moved here," she said, all the while staring ahead.

"See that wasn't so bad, was it?" Nathan said and smiled at her. "So, you mentioned something about being married?" He had to admit to himself that he was curious about her marital status.

"I think one a day is enough," Haley said.

"Ok, but you owe me another one tomorrow. Deal?" Nathan asked.

She looked at him briefly and said, "we'll see."

"Fair enough. And on that note, we're here," he said, stepping on the brakes. "Come on, I'll bring you to Turner."

She looked around the school compound, and with a start she realised how much she missed teaching and how she shouldn't have given it up so easily. She took a deep breath and followed Nathan's lead. They walked along the hallway with Nathan telling her about the school, although she wasn't listening to a word he was saying. She ran her fingers along the walls. It all felt so familiar and yet strange at the same time. Before she knew it, Nathan stood in front of her, making her stop abruptly in her tracks.

"You weren't listening to me, were you. All the time I was blabbing away," he said accusingly, although there was a hint of a smile on his face.

Haley pursed her lips together and said meekly, "I'm sorry. I was just remembering it all."

"Ok, plenty of time for that later. Right now, here's Turner's office. I gotta warn you. The old man can be tough, but he's actually a little kitten inside. Just don't tell him I told you that," Nathan said and grabbed her hand to lead her in Turner's office.

"Good morning, big guy. Here's the girl I was talking to you about, Haley James," Nathan said.

Principal Turner held out his hand. "Good morning, Ms. James. Have a seat. I must say, you came at exactly the right time. Do you have your resume with you?"

Haley nodded before taking a seat. "Yes, I do. Here it is." She waited while the older man read through her credentials, nodding in approval as he read along.

"Wow, it all looks very good. Says here that you are 26 years old and taught English for two years in LA. What made you stop teaching?" Turner asked.

Haley grew silent, suddenly realizing that Nathan was still in the room. She looked at Turner's expectant face and said slowly, "I got married and decided I wanted to stay at home and start a family."

"Oh, so you are married?" Turner asked. Nathan waited with bated breath for the answer that she refused to give him.

"Was married," Haley said, without giving anything away. Lucky for her, Turner did not notice. But Nathan did.

Turner gave her a smile. "Well, I hope you're not thinking of looking for another job, coz you're hired Ms. James. Can you start tomorrow?"

"I am? Tomorrow? Yeah. Thank you so much Principal Turner. I won't let you down. And please, call me Haley," Haley said and got up to shake Turner's hand.

"I know you won't. Nathan, will you show Haley out?"

"You got it," Nathan said to Turner. Opening the door, he led her out. "Congratulations! Looks like we're gonna see a lot more of each other now that we're colleagues."

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms flew around his neck. "Thank you Nathan," Haley said.

He returned the hug, loving the fact that her small body fit perfectly with his. "You're welcome. So do you want me to drive you back home?"

"No, would it be alright if I hang out here for a bit?"

"Yeah, sure. I can take you on a tour of the school, and then maybe you, me and Lucas can grab lunch somewhere. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good," she said. As long as it wasn't just her and Nathan, she had nothing to worry about, she thought.

* * *

The morning flew by so quickly Haley thought. It had been a long time since she felt like herself again. Nathan had kept his word and showed her around the school. She could tell that he loved being here, not just in Tree Hill High, but in Tree Hill. There was a sparkle in his eyes everytime he talked about his home.

Nathan on the other hand loved spending the morning with her. There were times when she didn't even realize it that he could catch her smiling. Genuinely smiling. And then they disappeared in a flash, replaced by a sadness that reflected in her eyes.

"So Haley, how are you liking Tree Hill so far?" Lucas asked as they were having lunch.

"I'm liking it. And you guys have been really good to me," she said after taking a bite of her sandwich. She noticed that Nathan was staring at her with a grin on her face. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

"You have something on your face. Here let me get it," he said. Haley felt herself go stiff when she felt his fingers on her face, gently wiping it off. "There you go," he said softly, his eyes never leaving his face.

She could feel her skin burn where he had touched her. They were still staring at each other when Lucas's cough made them jump. "Sorry, I'm ok. Something got stuck in my throat," Lucas said and looked at his brother with a knowing look.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Lucas said to her, "so do you need a ride to school tomorrow. I notice that you don't have a car."

"Oh yeah, speaking of cars, I really need to get one," she said.

Nathan immediately jumped at the opportunity. "Hey, our dad works at a car dealership. Maybe he can help you out. How about I take you there now?"

She felt herself hesitating. "Oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea Nate. Listen, I gotta go and pick Brooke up at her boutique," Lucas said, agreeing with his brother.

"Wait, she has a boutique?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, Clothes Over Bros. You may have seen it in town," Lucas said, pride evident in his voice.

"Yeah I've seen it. Her clothes are awesome." She had seen it when she was walking through the town yesterday and was in awe looking at the clothes on display, not that she could afford it at this point.

Nathan grinned. "Don't tell that to her face. Her ego is already swollen to a ridiculous point. So? How about my offer?"

"Your offer sounds good, thanks." Haley found herself agreeing before she could stop herself. _What is it about this guy that makes me want to be close to him, and run away from him in the opposite direction at the same time?_

"Excellent. Come on, I'll take you there."

As soon as they stepped into his car, he turned to her. "So, you were married. May I ask why the past tense?"

Haley deliberately avoided looking at him and said, "you may ask, but I may not answer."

"Damn, Hales. You're one tough egg to crack," Nathan said. "Ok, you may not tell me now. But you will, trust me."

Trust. She hated that word. "Just drive Nathan."

* * *

Haley stepped into the spacious office, thinking there was no way she could afford a car right now. But she didn't want to depend on anybody, especially Nathan. It was time she relied on herself.

"Hi Janet," she heard Nathan greet someone, she assumed was his dad's secretary. "Is my dad in?"

The older woman behind the desk smiled. "Yes, he is." Noticing Haley for the first time, she said,"Wow Nathan, who do we have here?"

"This is Haley James. She just moved to town yesterday, and she's looking for a car," Nathan said, introducing Haley to Janet.

"Hi, Janet," Haley said shyly.

"Well, looks like you're in good hands Haley," Janet said as she smiled kindly at her.

"Oh, stop it Janet. You're making me blush," Nathan said, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, you kids better go in. Your father's gonna be out for mayoral duties soon."

Haley looked at Nathan with bulging eyes. "Your dad's the mayor?"

Nathan grinned at her. "Yes, he is. But don't worry, he won't bite," he said. "Hi dad!" Nathan greeted his dad cheerfully.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?" Dan asked his younger son. For someone his age, Dan was still as handsome as he was twenty years ago. And like his sons, he had a cheerful personality.

"Dad, this is Haley. She just moved here yesterday and she needs a car. Think you can help?"

Hearing her name, Dan looked at her with recognition. "So this is Haley. My wife, Karen told me about you. Have a seat. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks Mr. Scott." She looked at Nathan nervously. Seeing her discomfort, he gave her a reassuring nod. "Like Nathan said, I need a car. A cheap one," she said meekly.

"Well, I'm sure I can find something suitable." They talked for quite a while before settling on a car which amazingly, she could afford. All the time they were in Dan's office, Haley could sense the love and pride Nathan and Dan had for each other and she admired that. It made her think of her own parents, and what they would think of her if only they were still alive. She still missed them although she had learnt to keep her feelings and emotions in check. But didn't stop her from feeling the lump in her throat.

"Well, nice doing business with you Haley. I hope you'll enjoy your new ride, but I'm afraid you can only take it home tomorrow. I'll get my guys to do all the paperwork in time for you to pick it up tomorrow. And if you ever need anything, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call me, ok?" Dan's voice brought her back to the present.

"Thank you Mr. Scott, for all your help," she said, and left with Nathan next to her.

"That went well. Looks like you're stuck with me and my car again, Haley," Nathan said and gave her a wink. He drove her home and walked her to the door. "You'll be alright? Do you need help with anything else?" he asked.

"Oh God no. You've done so much already. Thanks, Nathan. I really appreciate it."

"Do you want me to pick you up again tomorrow morning?" he asked, thinking of any excuse to be near her.

She knew she could ride with Lucas, he did offer her earlier. But there was something about Nathan that kept pulling her to him, like a giant magnet.

"I'd like that. Thanks," she said and smiled to her.

Nathan didn't know what came over her. Maybe it was the nearness. It could be that she looked so beautiful with the wind blowing her hair, making it shimmer in the sunlight. He bent his head and planted a soft kiss on her mouth, jolting them both.

"Nathan-" Haley started to say when he lifted his lips from hers.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Haley," he said softly and left, leaving her staring at his back, and her heart racing with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Sorry I've been neglecting my stories lately, but so much is going on right now with assignments and presentations my head is spinning and I didn't want to rush this chapter. Anyway, I'm taking a breather from all those so I thought I'd update. Thanks so much for your reviews for the last chapter. Here's the new chappie, and as usual let me know what you guys think ok. Cheers!**

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Chapter 3

Haley couldn't sleep a wink that night. She could still feel her lips burning from Nathan's kiss. As much as she wanted to push him away, there was something about him that pulled her to him. To say that the kiss was too short was an understatement, but she also knew that she couldn't let anything like that from happening again. She had lost so much already, and she didn't think she could bear the pain of history repeating itself. With a sigh, she turned and looked at her alarm clock. It was already half past six in the morning. Maybe she could still call Nathan and tell him that she didn't him to give her a ride to school. Maybe she could ride with Lucas instead.

She nervously picked up her phone and dialed his number that he had given earlier. After a few rings, a groggy voice was heard on the other line. "Hello?"

"Hi, Nathan. It's Haley. I'm so sorry. You obviously haven't woken up yet," she said in between stammers.

He immediately perked up at the sound of her voice, thinking what a lovely way to start a morning. "No, it's fine. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just that it's too much trouble for you to pick me up again today. You've already helped me yesterday. Maybe I can get Lucas's help, so you don't have to drive all the way here," she said, her heart racing as she imagined his handsome face.

She could tell that he was smiling on the other line. "Haley, you might want to look outside your window."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

She walked over to her window and looked out, and there it was, Nathan's car parked outside Lucas's house. "Shit," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," Nathan said grinning. "I decided to crash Lucas's place last night." He told her. What he didn't say was that he just wanted an excuse to be near her, and sleeping at Lucas's house was the nearest he could get last night. "Well, now that you're up why don't you come over and we can have breakfast together."

"What? No, I can't do that. I'd be imposing on you guys."

She could hear his deep throaty laugh. "Are you kidding? Brooke practically begged me to ask you to come over. Come on, get dressed and get your ass over here." His invitation was met with silence. "Haley? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I am. Alright, I suppose I could. I'll be there in half an hour," she said reluctantly.

True to her word, half an hour later she found herself outside the older Scott's house. After a few moments of hesitation, she finally rang the bell. She didn't expect Nathan to open the door, dressed in t-shirt and shorts. He obviously hadn't showered yet. She stared at him, unable to take her eyes of his perfectly toned body, his hair still ruffled. She reluctantly lowered her gaze.

"Hi," she said shyly. "Am I early? I could come back later."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. "Don't be silly. I just fell asleep again after you called. My bad. Brooke's in the kitchen trying to make breakfast." He led her into the kitchen and didn't let go of her hand. "Hey Brooke. Haley's here," he said, his eyes twinkling.

Haley waved her hand and smiled at the pretty girl standing at the counter with no trace of her dimples on her cheek. Instead there was a strange looking frown. "Errr Brooke? Are you alright?"

Brooke looked up and her frown was immediately replaced by a smile. Haley had to stifle a laugh when she saw her right cheek covered in what looked like flour. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out how to make pancakes. Lucas loves the one Karen makes so I thought of making some this morning. Oh my God! I can't believe how bad I am at this!" Brooke groaned in frustration.

This time Haley did laugh at her neighbour's antics. "Here, let me help," she said. During her marriage, she was a stay at home wife, so cooking was all she did. "It's pretty simple. Just mix the flour with eggs and milk," she started to say.

Nathan watched the two girls preparing breakfast and smiled, his heart warmed by the sounds of their laughter. He noticed that Haley let her guard down when she was around Brooke, which was a good start. Suddenly a tap on his shoulder made him jump.

"Hey little brother. Sleep well?" Lucas asked him.

"As well as I could, with all the noise you and Brooke were making," he said with a smirk.

The two brothers were so close that there was no hint of embarrassment on Lucas's face. "Yeah, well you know we are trying for a baby. Nuff said," Lucas said grinning. "I can't complain though."

"Yeah, I bet you can't. How's that going anyway?"

"I dunno. It's still too early to tell and Brooke's really excited about it." Lucas stole a glance at his wife, his heart overflowing with love. He and Brooke decided to try for a baby as soon as they got married, and he knew how much Brooke wanted to get pregnant.

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I'd better hit the showers. I'm driving Haley to school today," he said and was about to head in that direction when Lucas stopped him.

"You like her, don't you?" Lucas asked him.

"Yeah, I like her, but who doesn't?"

"Nate, you know what I mean. You really like her, don't you?"

Nathan turned to face his brother and looked him in the eyes. "So what if I do?"

Lucas shook his head and looked down. "Nathan, why do you do this to yourself everytime? You meet a girl. You like her and within a few days you are already picturing your wedding day. A few weeks after that you decide that that girl is not the one you want to be with at the altar. You break up with her. She gets hurt and you...well you start all over again."

Nathan gave his brother an angry glare, but he knew he couldn't really blame Lucas for thinking that way about him. Everything Lucas said about him was true. Except that this time, he knew that Haley wasn't like any other girl he knew.

"Luke, why don't you give me some credit. I know what I'm doing alright? So back off."

Lucas put his hands over his head in mock defeat. "Ok, if you say so. But please don't hurt Haley. She's different."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't already know," Nathan said. "Now I really have to hit the shower. But seriously Luke, trust me this time."

Lucas grinned at him. "Yeah, I trust you when you say you need a shower. You stink."

"Dumbass!" Nathan said, punching Lucas on the arm before heading towards the shower, but not before taking one last glance at Haley, who seemed oblivious to their conversation.

Lucas grinned at his brother and walked over to Brooke, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He pulled her close and whispered into her ears. "Hey, beautiful. Good morning. How do you feel?"

Brooke smiled at the sound of his voice and leaned against him. "I dunno. Would I feel anything different?" She turned around and planted a kiss on his lips. Haley looked away, embarrassed to have witnessed such intimate exchange, while at the same time couldn't help feeling a bit envious.

"I dunno. It's your body," Lucas grinned against Brooke's ears before pulling away. "Hi Haley. I'm afraid Brooke was a bit too ambitious when she asked you over. She actually can't cook to save her life."

"Hey!" Brooke exclaimed and smacked him on his chest, making him double over in pain. "For your information, I made pancakes this morning. With Haley's help of course," she added when she heard Haley clearing her throat in the background. "So from now, we're having pancakes everyday, until Haley teaches me to make something else."

"Woopee," Lucas said sarcastically and poured himself a cup of steaming hot coffee.

A few minutes later, Nathan sauntered into the kitchen looking fresh from his shower. Haley couldn't help but think how sexy he smelled. _Get a grip of yourself, Haley, _she told herself.

"Wow, something smells good," Nathan said as he stole a glance at Haley. She quickly looked away when he caught her eye.

Brooke grinned from ear to ear. "I know! Here, why don't you try some of my very first pancake. Wow Haley, you should come over more often," she squealed excitedly. "Come on guys, eat up or you're gonna be late for school. Damn, I sound like a mom already." She started to walk over to the table, joining Lucas and Nathan and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Haley watched Brooke from the corner of her eyes. For some reason she thought that her last sentence had a trace of sadness in it. She quickly dismissed it, thinking she must have heard it wrong.

"Hey, Haley," Brooke said, interrupting her from her trail of thoughts. "Lucas said that you like my clothes. How about I take you around the store this weekend?"

"Really? Thanks Brooke. I'd like that. Your clothes really look awesome."

"Thanks! So it's a date," Brooke smiled warmly at her. "I'll call Peyton and see if she can get herself away from Jake."

"Errr...who's Jake?"

"Just her tonsil hockey mate," Nathan interrupted nonchalantly. He happily gobbled down the stack of pancakes on his plate.

"Her what?" Haley's eyes grew wide at the term. She could hear the rest laughing in the background.

"Don't listen to him. Jake's her boyfriend. You haven't met him but I'm sure you will soon. Why aren't you having breakfast by the way?" Brooke asked, noticing that Haley had not even sat down with them. Instead, she had opted to drink her coffee at the counter.

Haley looked warily at her. There was only one seat left, and that was next to Nathan. "I'm not that hungry. I thought I'd have my coffee first." She walked over to the table, knowing that it would seem rude not to sit with them, and gingerly placed herself next to Nathan.

"Here, have some. They're really good," Nathan said and stacked some of the pancakes on her plate. "Do you want syrup with that?" She nodded appreciatively while all the while avoiding looking at him. "Fork and knife and you're all set." He passed her the utensils and was deliciously surprised when his fingers brushed with hers.

Half and hour later, she could finally breath a sigh of relief when Nathan announced that they had better be going. "Thanks for breakfast Brooke."

Brooke gave her a hug and grinned. "Please, you were the one who made breakfast. I'll see you soon, neighbour."

Once in Nathan's car, she tried to sit as near to the door and as far away from him as possible. Being close to him was really disconcerting, and yet when she remembered their fingers brushing, she felt a tingle creeping up her spine.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" Nathan asked suddenly.

The question threw her, and to be honest one that she didn't know how to answer. "Why do you say that?" she asked, dodging the question.

"You called me this morning to tell me not to pick you up. Then you panicked when I told you I was at Lucas. Let's see. Next you practically avoided sitting next to me during breakfast and now, the way you're sitting, it's like I've got some contagious disease or something."

"Nathan, I'm sorry I gave you that impression. It's nothing to do with you," she said quietly. "I'm just not good with making new friends."

"That a load of bull and you know it. You're fine with Lucas and Brooke. Why am I any different? Why do I feel like you don't trust me?"

She closed her eyes as his words hit home. He knew that he had hit a nerve when she remained quiet. Neither spoke another word the rest of the ride to school, each lost in their own thoughts. As soon as they reached the school, she started to unbuckle and got ready to get out of the car. "Thank you," she said quietly. Her feet almost touched the ground when she felt his hand on her wrist.

"I'll take you to my dad's office after school so you can pick up your car. You should be happy. You don't have to see me again after that if you don't want to." He released her hand and waited till she got out. Looking at her over the roof, he silently locked the car before turning away. Just saying those words left him with a sadness he couldn't explain. He didn't know why Haley had such an effect on him. All the other girls he had been with provided him with a temporary sense of belonging, before he realised that his relationships with them were nothing more than a disillusion. Lucas was right about him. He had always started to imagine getting married to his girlfriend a few days after going out, only to have that dream disappear in a puff of smoke soon after. With Haley, he just wanted to have another day in her company. Just to hear her voice and see her elusive smile. He wondered if she ever really genuinely smiled. With a sigh, he thought that now he would never find out.

Haley watched him walk away from her and felt awashed with guilt. She tried to make herself feel better by telling herself that it was the right thing to do to distant herself from Nathan. She hated herself for doing it, but at the same time she had her heart to look after. She gave all that she had when she was with Steve and look where it got her. She hated the fact that Nathan made her heart race like no man ever did. Not even Steve. Nathan made her feel so safe whenever she was around him, and yet she feared for him. Feared for what could happen. For a minute she thought that not only she had let Nathan walk away from her. She probably had let another shot of her happiness slip away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys. Sorry for posting this so late. I still have two more papers to go this semester and it's been a pretty busy couple of months. Anyway, thanks for all your reviews for the last chapter although the number of reviews have been declining which is a bit discouraging :( I'm not sure if you guys are not really into the story line or if there are aspects of this story that you don't really dig but either way, just let me know so I can improve ok. And Helen15, I hear you and I'll try to use your suggestion ;) Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you guys think. Cheers!**

* * *

Chapter 4

"Hey, you're our new teacher right?" Haley was just settling down at her desk in her classroom when a student came up to her.

Haley smiled. "Yes, I am. I'm Miss James."

"Cool. I'm Mr. Walker. But you can call me Justin for short."

Haley laughed. "Ok Justin. Why don't you go to your seat so we can get started."

Haley looked around the room at the expectant faces of her students. She was nervous about teaching her first class after so long and her thoughts kept coming back to the conversation she had with Nathan this morning, which didn't make things any better. She pushed away any thoughts about Nathan, took a deep breath and introduced herself to her class. And from then on, things went a lot better for her. She couldn't believe how much she missed teaching. She loved everything about it. The joy of teaching someone something new every day. The satisfaction of watching somebody understand what she was teaching. Everything. And for an hour, it managed to take her mind of Nathan. But as soon as the hour was up and the last few students trickled out of her classroom, Nathan occupied every single cell in her brain. With a low groan of frustration, she gathered her things and headed out to have a bite.

She found a table outside and had only started to unwrap her sandwich when she heard a voice. "Wow, looks like someone's taken our spot." She looked up and saw Lucas's face grinning down at her. Next to him was an obviously uncomfortable looking Nathan.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I could go someplace else." She started to pack her things when he heard Lucas laugh.

"Haley, don't be silly. I was just pulling your leg. Can we join you?" Lucas asked. She nodded and stole a glance at Nathan, who avoided looking at her. "What are you having?"

"Just tuna sandwich," she said and took a bite, making a face as she did so. "Wow, I didn't know you can mess up a tuna sandwich." She pushed aside her sandwich and took a gulp of her soda.

Suddenly she saw a plate of fries slid up in front of her. "Here, have some of my fries." She looked up and saw Nathan looking at her with a vacant expression on his face.

"Thanks," she said hesitantly and put a few in her mouth. "So how long have you guys been coaching the Ravens?"

Lucas noticed the uncomfortable air hovering over his brother and Haley but chose not to say anything. "Since we graduated from college. Our former coach, we call him Whitey. He was retiring and he called us up one day and offered us the job." He patted Nathan on his shoulder and smiled. "This guy here passed up the opportunity to play professional just to help me. You should see him play in high school. He was unbeatable," Lucas said and smiled proudly at Nathan.

"Actually I busted my knee. Couldn't play in the NBA after that," Nathan offered quietly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Haley said, knowing fully well how difficult it was to let go of something you loved doing. The only difference was she got her chance back.

"How about you? What's your story?" Lucas asked.

Nathan instantly got up and turned to leave. "Forget it Lucas. She won't tell you anything, right Haley? I gotta go." Without giving them a second look, he left leaving a gaping Lucas.

"What's up with him?" Lucas asked in confusion following Nathan's outburst. Haley shrugged, pretending not to know. "By the way, Nathan told me that something's come up. He can't take you to our dad's dealership after school and asked me if I could take you instead. You cool with that?"

Haley's head snapped back and she looked at Lucas as his words sank in. "Yeah, sure. Thanks," she managed to say.

"Anyway, I heard a lot of good things about you from your students."

"You did?"

"Yeah, you know how word travels fast in high school. I heard one kid describe you as 'awesome'."

Haley grinned with pleasure and Lucas could see a hint of blush creeping up her cheeks. "Well, I was just doing my job."

"Haley, get off it. You don't have to be modest. You're good at what you do. Sometimes you have to let yourself take credit for that. Anyway, I gotta go. I'll see you after school."

She sat a while longer in the sun pondering Lucas's words. It really felt good to be praised. She couldn't remember the last time anybody did that to her.

* * *

True to his word, Lucas waited for her at the end of the day to take her to Scott's Motors. She was surprised when she felt a bit of disappointment when she realized that Nathan really wasn't taking her.

"So, I couldn't help but overhear that you and Brooke are trying for a baby. I think that's wonderful," Haley said as she sat next to Lucas in his car.

Lucas smiled as he thought of his wife and the family that they were planning to have. "Yeah, we are. We're really excited about it. I know that Brooke's gonna be a wonderful mother. How about you? You mentioned that you were married."

Haley bit her bottom lip and looked out of the window. A lump had started to form in her throat and she swallowed a few times to make it go away. She closed her eyes and thought of her marriage to Steve and an involuntary tear slid down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away, hoping that Lucas didn't notice. "Yeah, I was married," she said quietly.

Something in her tone of voice told Lucas that she didn't really want to talk about it. He decided to let it slide and started to talk about something else. Haley looked at him gratefully and in a few minutes they were chatting away comfortably.

"Haley, you're here for your car?" Dan Scott greeted her when she and Lucas walked into his office. "Hey son. Where's Nathan?"

"He had something to do, so I volunteered for driver duty today. So where's Haley's sweet new ride?" Lucas asked, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

Haley and Dan laughed at Lucas's reaction. "You look like you're the one getting the car," Haley said and turned to Dan. "Thank you Mr. Scott. Are you sure the car's not a cent cheaper than it's supposed to be? Coz I'm willing to pay the selling price, whatever that is."

"Haley, what do you think? I'm a businessman." Dan smiled at her although he had secretly sold the car a bit cheaper. Like his wife Karen, he saw something in Haley that he liked. Plus, he was quite good at reading people and he figured that she needed all the help she could get. "So, this is the key. The car's all yours. Enjoy," he handed the key to her and winked.

Haley stared at the key in the palm of her hand for the longest time. "Is something wrong?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing, I've just never owned a car before. I do have a license but I've never really owned a car." She clutched the car key as if it was the most precious thing in the world. A smile broke on her beautiful face as the realisation hit her. This was the first thing in a long time that was truly hers. And just like that she felt like nothing could spoil her day.

* * *

"So, did Haley like her new ride?" Brooke stood on tiptoes and kissed Lucas affectionately the moment he walked through the door.

He kissed her back and smiled against her mouth. "Yeah, she did. I've never seen her smile like that since she moved here."

"Yeah, I wonder why she looks unhappy most of the time. She looks like she had gone through a lot before she came here and I'm gonna find out what."

Lucas laughed and shook her head. "Is there a time in your life when you weren't poking your nose into people's lives?"

She grinned revealing the dimple on her cheeks. "Nope. Besides I like to think of her as a friend and if there's anything I can do to help a friend, I would."

"I know you would Gorgeous. Now where's my dinner woman?"

He was quickly awarded with a hard smack on his arm. "I made sushi myself and thought of sharing them with you, but judging from how you treat me, I think I'll just have them all to myself." She pretended to walk away and yelped when Lucas grabbed her waist. She looked at his handsome face, his narrowed eyes and pouty lips and had to laugh. "Come on, dinner's ready. I'm starving!" she exclaimed and led him to the table.

They had a nice intimate dinner, just the two of them. It wasn't often that they had chances like this, with Nathan always barging through their front door, always when they least expected him too.

"So Nathan was acting weird at lunch today," Lucas started to say. He marveled at how his wife who had a store to manage still had time to prepare sushi for him. "Hang on, you've got some wasabi on your cheek." He wiped it away and kissed the spot tenderly.

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"We had lunch with Haley and something was just off with him. He was quiet and when he did talk, it was kinda snappy."

Brooke pretended to look thoughtful. "Hmmm...Nathan snappy? Nope, that's not weird at all."

"Yeah, but he was snappy at Haley. What did she do to upset him?"

Brooke's eyes sparkled with interest. "Really? At Haley?That's interesting. Do you notice that he's all weird when Haley's around? It's obvious he likes her." Her words didn't get any response from Lucas. "It could be a good thing, after what he went through last year." She looked at Lucas hoping to get some reaction and when there was none, she said grumpily, "you know. The least you could do was nod."

"What?" Lucas asked, feigning innocence. "I'm just afraid that they both are gonna end up hurt. Last year is still a raw topic for Nathan, and as for Haley, that girl has got trust issues."

Brooke didn't get a chance to comment when the door burst open and Peyton and Jake walked in. "Wow Brooke. You've really outdone yourself this time. Looks like we chose the perfect time to come over baby," Peyton said to Jake. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are we interrupting?" she asked innocently when she saw Lucas glaring at them.

"Oi! Is it so difficult to have a cozy dinner with just my wife once in a while?" a visibly annoyed Lucas asked.

Jake sat down next to him and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Come on Luke. Treat this as a payback for walking in on me and Peyton when we were about to have our fun in bed two days ago," he said mischievously. "Besides, you really should consider changing your locks. On second thought, I think we all should."

Lucas groaned at the memory. "Oh God please don't remind me. It took me a whole day to get the image out of my head."

Brooke gave Jake and Peyton a wide smile. As much as she loved having some alone time with Lucas, she loved her friends. Besides Lucas, her friends were the closest thing she could call as family. "Hey, P. Sawyer go get some more plates from the kitchen will you?"

"You got it B. Davies," Peyton replied with a twinkle in her eyes.

* * *

Haley finished her dinner in a rush and quickly walked out of her house. She started walking in the direction of the address that Lucas had given to her earlier and for a moment, her nerves got to her and she almost turned around. She had been walking for five minutes when she saw a familiar figure walk in her direction.

"Nathan?"

"Haley?" they both asked at the same time.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? ;)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, here's the next chapter. It's all Naley and I'm quite nervous about how you guys feel about this chapter. This one's a bit long. So just have a read and let me know what you think ok. Cheers! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 5

"I was just going to-" Haley started to say.

"I thought of-" Nathan said simultaneously.

They both laughed. "Okay, this is silly. You go first," Nathan offered with a smile.

Haley took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I was going over to your place to apologize about this morning. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I don't trust you. I thought since you sent Lucas to take me to your dad's dealership, I must have really upset you."

"Haley, stop it. You don't have to apologize for anything. It should be me who should be sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. And I really had something to do. I also coach some boys at the community centre and one of the boys needed my help with something. I'm sorry I should have told you." He looked at her and marveled at how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. It almost took all of his will not to touch her face. He quickly dismissed the thought from his mind. "So, forgive me?" he asked and looked at her hopefully.

Haley smiled shyly. "Only if you forgive me."

"Done. You're forgiven."

Haley bit her bottom lip. She couldn't believe what she was going to say next. "And if you'll let me buy you dinner tonight."

Nathan looked at her in surprise. "Wait a minute. Am I hearing things? You're actually asking me out?" he jokingly asked. He saw that she was about to chicken out on her invitation and quickly accepted. "Okay I'll let you buy dinner tonight. But I have to warn you, I'm starving. So get your purse ready. Haven't you had dinner?"

"I did but it was in a rush, so yeah, I'm hungry again. You must be thinking that I'm a glutton or something."

Nathan laughed at the remark. "Of course I don't think that. I think it's great when girls do eat. I hate it when they just pick at their food even when it's only salad on the plate. Come on. Let's go eat."

They walked silently, both lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Haley broke the silence. "So, why are you so interested in me anyway?"

The question threw him. He never expected her to be so forward. After a moment of hesitation, he answered, "I like you. And you're so mysterious and secretive which I find intriguing." She kept silent at his words. "I have a not so happy past too," he offered. He never really talked about his past, not even with Lucas and the rest of the gang, but for some reason unknown to him he felt comfortable telling Haley.

Haley stopped in her tracks and stood facing him. "Nathan you don't have to tell me."

"It's okay. I want to," he said, smiling a little. "Two years ago I was in a relationship with a girl. We had been hanging out since senior year in high school, but we decided not to take things seriously until after we graduated. It did get serious and we were engaged. We were supposed to get married a year ago."

"Supposed to?" Haley asked. "What happened?"

"Shit happened." Nathan looked up to the darkened sky. "The day before we were to be husband and wife, she told me that she had been seeing another guy. It had been going on for a few months, and she told me that she didn't want to get married."

Haley looked at him, her mouth gaping. "Oh my God Nathan. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, not as sorry as I am. But then again, it's better that I found out before we got married then after, right? Imagine saying those vows knowing that you have no intention of keeping them."

Haley closed her eyes, knowing fully well what he meant. A flood of emotions rushed through her as memories of her past flashed in her mind.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nathan asked. "Did I say something wrong?" He looked at her, his face full of concern. _What secret are you hiding Haley? _He asked to himself.

She opened her eyes and smiled bitterly. "No, I mean, yeah I'm fine." She looked around and noticed that they had arrived at what looked like the docks. "Where are we?"

Nathan held out his hands. "We are at one of my favourite places in Tree Hill. This is the docks where me, Lucas and the rest of the gang hang out on weekends. I should take you here one weekend. You should see this place bustling with people." He pointed at a spot in the distance. "That right there is where you can have one of the best pancakes in town, after my mom's of course," he said grinning.

She looked around, admiring the view. A few people were out walking on the docks, their faces illuminated by the lights lighting the docks. There were couples holding hands, sharing ice cream and hotdogs. She saw a married couple taking their kids out for a night of family fun and felt a sting of envy and sadness.

"Nathan, this place is beautiful." Her voice came out in a whisper.

They made their way to the railings. Nathan leaned against the railings and smiled. "Yeah, I know. Reason why I like to come here when I need to think." He looked at her and grinned. "Okay, tonight I've decided to go easy on your pockets, so does hot dog sound good to you?"

She returned his grin. "Sounds perfect."

"Yeah, but next time I'm expecting lobster and caviar."

She laughed but stopped when she saw that his face had gone serious. "Are you serious?" He took his time before laughing out loud. "Nathan!" she yelled and smacked him.

Nathan yelped in pain and rubbed the sore spot, although if felt to be touched by Haley. "God! You're so gullible," he said laughing.

"I know, it's something I'm trying to work on," she said. "So where is it this place where we're gonna get our dinner?"

He pulled her hand and led her to a vendor. "Right here. Hey Chris. Two hotdogs, extra mustard," he said to the vendor.

Haley touched his arm tentatively. "Wait a minute. How did you know if I wanted extra mustard. Or maybe I didn't want mustard on my hotdog?" she asked indignantly.

He gave her a know-it-all look. "It's mustard. Everybody likes mustard. Wait, you don't like mustard?"

She grinned. "Nathan Scott, you're so gullible. Yes I like mustard."

She looked so beautiful with the grin on her face. He felt like kissing her there and then but managed to refrain himself. "Nicely done, Hales." He took the hotdogs and handed one to her and she promptly paid.

"Thank you. I learned from the best." She took the offered hotdog and took a bite. "Oh, that's good," she said with her mouth full.

Nathan took a bite out of his own hotdog and said jokingly, "didn't your mother teach never to talk with your mouth full?"

"Where do you think I get this trait from?" she said. "She passed away three years ago," she added quietly after a few moments. She looked at the hotdog in her hand and started picking on it.

Nathan went still, the hotdog in his hand forgotten. "I'm so sorry Haley." He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"It's not your fault." She started walking slowly with Nathan by his side. "She had cancer. She had been fighting it for so long but in the end the cancer won."

Nathan closed his eyes feeling her pain. He had never really lost someone close to him but he knew what pain felt like. "How about your dad?" he asked gently.

She took a deep breath, feeling a tear threatening to fall. "He-" she felt a sob rising in her throat. "I like to believe he died of a broken heart. My parents loved each other, and when my mom died, my dad never really recovered. He had never had a heart problem in his life but he died of heart attack a few months after her death."

He looked at her and saw that a tear had slid down her cheek. He gently wiped it away, wishing he could wipe away her pain along with it. "Haley-" He wanted so much to comfort her but he was lost for words.

She gave him a watery smile. "It's okay. They had a good life. They had the perfect marriage. Sure they had their petty arguments but even as a small child I could see that they loved each other. Every night when my dad came home from work, he would always go to the kitchen where he knew where my mom would be and just put his arms around her waist. Even though there was no music, I could see them swaying and I could hear their giggles." She smiled at the memory. "They never spent a night apart and when my mom died, a part of my dad died too. I told myself that if I get married, I want a marriage just like that."

"And was it?" Nathan asked. She smiled ruefully but didn't answer his question. He noticed her hesitation and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. Hey, your food's getting cold."

She silently took another bite. "I never talked to anyone about my parents. I don't why I did that with you."

He smiled. "Must be my charm." He looked out at the waters. "This is the first place I went to after Rachel, that was my fiancee's name, called off the wedding. It was funny coz I thought I'd be really upset about it but I wasn't. I always had this feeling that it could never last, and I was just waiting for the bomb to drop."

"Why didn't you end it sooner?" she asked.

He sighed and watched the water sparkle like tiny pieces of diamonds. "I guess I'm too much of a hopeful romantic. I had a suspicion that she was having an affair but I thought we could work it out. I wanted so much to get married although I didn't really believe in the marriage that we were supposed to have. How screwed up is that?" he gave a hollow laugh.

"I guess at some point in life we do get disillusioned by love, or what we thought of as love."

He looked at her curiously. "Did you?"

She turned to face him and looked him in the eyes, and felt an unfamiliar feeling, like she could trust him and it scared her. She quickly turned away. "Maybe I did," she said quietly.

"Haley-" he started to say. There were so many things about her that he wanted to know, so many things about him that he wanted to tell her. He felt a strange yet familiar feeling wash over him. With a start he recognized it. He was falling in love with her. This girl whom he had only known a few days ago but had managed to steal his heart again. It was unlike his feelings for Rachel. It was something much more.

She cut him short and laughed nervously. "Wow look at us. Pouring our hearts out. Must be this place." She turned to look at him. "So you told me earlier that you also coach at the community centre. Where do you find the time to do all these?" she said giving him a look of awe and respect.

"Yeah, it was something I took up after the wedding, something to take my mind of things. And I was actually quite surprised when I enjoyed it and I've never stopped doing it since." Suddenly an idea came to him. "Hey, maybe you can come with me this weekend. Come on, it'll be fun. Plus some of the kids are struggling a bit in school, so maybe you can tutor them."

Her heart skipped a beat at the invitation. It wasn't only an invitation to help the kids, but an invitation to be with him every weekend. Before she could stop herself, she said, "sure. I'd like that."

Nathan's own heart had been beating wildly in his chest in anticipation of her answered. And when she accepted his invitation, he felt like his heart could burst with happiness. He smiled happily at her. "Great. It starts at nine in the morning. How about I pick you up and we can go together."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that," she said.

He looked disappointed. "Oh, okay."

She grinned at him. "No, it's not that. I'd like to pick you up this time. I have my own car now, remember?"

It was his turn to smile. "Oh yeah. How do you like it? Did my dad give you a good deal?"

"He did and the car's great. Please tell your dad how grateful I am for all his help. So what do you say? Pick you up at 8.30?"

"8.30's good." He pointed to the sky. "Hey we'd better head back. It looks like it's gonna rain soon."

She took in a lungful of air and closed her eyes. "I love the rain. I love the smell when it's raining. I love the smell after it rains."

He laughed. "I get. You love the rain. Come on, we're gonna be soaked. The rain in Tree Hill can be quite unforgiving." Just as they started to walk back, the sounds of thunder could be heard, and before they knew it, the rain came pouring down. "I told you!" Nathan exclaimed.

Haley laughed, her hair already dripping wet. She could see everybody around them already running for shelter. "You're such a chicken Nathan. It's just rain."

The sounds of the rumbling thunder were getting louder and he had to yell just to be heard. "We're gonna get pneumonia!" He started to take her hand but stopped when he saw her standing there, every inch of her body getting soaked and still she didn't move. "What are you doing?" He yelled.

She closed her eyes and laughed. It had been a long time since she last did this, just standing in the rain. It had been a long time since she last had fun, and she had fun hanging out with Nathan tonight and a part of her didn't want it to end so soon. "I'm getting pneumonia!" she yelled back.

"You're crazy!" he said loudly but he let her. In fact, he was starting to enjoy it. It was liberating to feel the rain trickle down his face with no care in the world. And doing it with Haley made it feel even better. "You are hard to figure out Haley James," he said smiling.

They stood there in the rain staring at each other for the longest time. Something shifted between them and she could see Nathan coming nearer and nearer. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster. Nathan didn't know what came over him. He stared into those beautiful brown eyes of hers and his hand came up to caress her wet face. Before he could stop himself, he bent his head and touched his lips gently on hers, closing his eyes as he felt the wetness of her lips.

She wanted to push him away but she couldn't. Instead she stood there rooted to the ground. She closed her eyes and let his lips caress hers and involuntarily parted her lips. Nathan took it as a sign of invitation and kissed her deeper, his tongue seeking hers. She moaned at the touch and felt her knees go weak. She had been kissed before but not like this. Never like this. Their tongues met making him groan. God it was everything and nothing like he pictured it to be. He pulled her closer and she felt his arm encircling her small waist.

"Haley-" he breathed into her mouth.

The sound of his voice jolted her and she broke the contact. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she said touching her lips.

"I'm not," he answered softly. He held out his hand to touch her again and she made a step back.

"I think we should head back." She turned away from him, grateful that the rain hid the tears that had started to flow down her cheeks. It had been so long since she had been touched like that. Not since Steve. And she was afraid of where this could lead them. She didn't want to go through the pain of falling in love again, but with a start, she realised that this was what was happening. She was falling in love again. She couldn't let this happen again.

"Haley," Nathan said and grabbed her hand. "Look at me." Even in the rain, he could tell that she was crying. "We did nothing wrong. It was just a kiss."

"I can't," she said with a sob.

"You can't what? What are you afraid of? What are you not telling me?" he asked and caressed her cheek gently.

"Nathan, please. I can't do this," she pleaded.

He looked at her face and saw fear. "You're scared. I don't know what you're scared of. But you don't have to be scared of me."

She shook her head vehemently. "You don't understand."

"Then make me understand," he urged. Seeing that she was refusing to budge, he said softly, "Haley I know you've been hurt in the past. I can see it in your eyes. We've both been hurt. Maybe we're meant to heal each other."

She wanted so much to trust him with her heart but the pain of her past was to great. "It's too soon Nathan."

"Then we'll take it slow and see where this takes us. I won't rush you into anything you don't want to do. I promise. We don't have to do anything. I just want to spend time with you. Haley, you can trust me."

She looked at him uncertainly. The rain had started to stop and the docks were empty except for the two of them. "I can't. I can't trust you."

"Can't or won't?" he asked and she didn't answer him. He didn't want to drive her away and he was willing to take it slow. She wasn't like the other girls he dated after Rachel. "Haley, you're not ready. I get that. So right now, I'm happy to settle as just being your friend. Is that alright with you?" he asked. He waited for her answer with bated breath. His heart leaped with joy when he saw her nod.

"Friends?" Haley asked.

"Friends," he said. "Come on, I'll take you home. You're shivering." They both walked in silence, both thinking of the kiss they shared. _I hate you Steve, _she said to herself. _Look what you did to me._

_I'm gonna break down that wall, Haley James. I'm gonna make sure you're never hurt again,_ Nathan promised to himself.

* * *

**You know what to do guys. Leave me some love ;)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, I'm back with a new chappy. There's not much action and drama in this one but I hope you guys will still enjoy it. It's quite an important chapter for some characters in the story. Let me know what you guys think ok. Cheers! ;)**

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Chapter 7

"Brooke!" Lucas yelled as he entered his house. He had a tough day coaching the team and all he wanted was to spend time snuggling with his wife. "Brooke!" He yelled again to a seemingly empty house.

Brooke scrambled to get up from the bathroom floor and hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't want him to see her like this and she promised herself not to cry everytime this happened, but the sadness and the disappointment were to overwhelming for her to bear.

"I'm coming," she said and was just about to open the bathroom door when Lucas poked his head in.

"Oh honey," he said and immediately guessed the reason behind her tears. He gathered her into a hug and let her cry in his arms. "Shush, it's ok," he said soothingly. "It's gonna happen one day Brooke. We're gonna get a baby one day. We're only starting to try. There's plenty of time."

"You don't understand. I want this baby so much Luke."

"I know you do. I do too but it's not gonna happen overnight. We'll try again ok. And you have to admit, we do have fun trying don't we?" he said in an attempt to bring a smile to her face. It worked when she let a hint of a smile form on her face. She nodded and buried her face in his arms again. She muffled something and he strained his ears to hear her. "Emm Brooke, I can't really hear what you're saying."

She lifted her face and looked at him, giving him a half smile. "I said I'm going over to Haley's. I promised her that I'd take her out shopping today."

"Brooke, it's a Wednesday. Who goes out shopping on a Wednesday?" he said, disappointment evident in his voice. "Come on, stay home with me please?" he pleaded.

"I can't. I already promised her." She untangled herself from him and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "And I need to get out of this house," she added quietly. Lucas fell silent unable to argue. He knew how much getting pregnant meant for her. He watched her get her things and left. He let out a loud groan and picked up the phone.

"Hey Nate. You up for NBA Live?" he muttered grudgingly. "Great, get your ass here. And grab some pizza from mom's on your way here."

* * *

"Hey Brooke," Haley said in greeting. "Come on in. I was just getting ready." She went over to Brooke to give her a hug, but stopped short when she saw her friend's tear stained cheeks. "Hey, are you okay? Here sit down. I'll make you some tea." She bustled in the kitchen and in a matter of minutes returned with a cup of steaming hot tea in her hands. She handed the mug to Brooke who gratefully took a sip.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Haley asked slowly while soothingly rubbed Brooke's arm.

Brooke looked at her with fresh tears already forming in her eyes and swallowed a large lump in her throat. "You know Lucas and I are trying for a baby right? I know it's silly but everytime my period comes, I can't help but bawl like a baby." Haley listened and as she was about to say something, her front door opened again revealing a curly blond haired girl.

"Hey are you guys ready?" Peyton asked. Her smile quickly disappeared from her face when she saw Brooke crying. She quickly made her way to her and said, "did Lucas do something? Coz if he did I swear to God I'm gonna kick his ass."

Brooke had to giggle at her reaction. "Peyton, I think you need to calm down before you kick my husband's ass." Her face suddenly turned serious. "My period came today."

"Oh," Peyton said, suddenly understanding. She didn't really know what to say to comfort her friend. "Well, there's always next month, right?"

Brooke groaned and covered her face with her hands. "That's what Lucas said and I guess you guys are both right. But I just can't help being disappointed you know."

"I know," Haley quietly spoke up after a long silence. Brooke and Peyton looked at each other before turning their attention back to Haley. "I lost a baby once," she said after a moment's hesitation. Her words hung in the air as a hushed silence filled the room. She didn't know what overtook her, but the words flowed freely from her mouth. Tree Hill had that effect on her. Or maybe it was the fact that she knew she could trust her new friends. A surge of painful memories swept through her mind as she remembered falling down the stairs to her house, calling out Steve's name for help. The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital, sobbing as the doctor told her that she had lost her baby.

"I got pregnant when I was married to Steve, my husband." She sank herself in one of the free chairs. It was obvious that the plan to go shopping was now out of the window. "I had an accident when I was just two months pregnant and I lost it," she said, struggling to get the words out.

Peyton's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh God Haley, I'm so sorry." Next to her Brooke watched Haley tell them a part of her history. Haley had always been a private person, that much she knew, so letting them in her life like this must be difficult for her to do. She bit her lips, refraining from asking her questions, knowing that Haley would tell them more if she wanted to.

Haley gave them a sad smile. "It's okay. I've learned to deal with it."

Peyton looked at her uncertainly, a question hovering in her head itching to be let out. "Haley, can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Haley simply nodded. "What happened to Steve? You have never mentioned your husband before, but like I said, you don't have to answer if you are uncomfortable with it."

Haley got up from her chair and walked over to her kitchen counter. She looked out the window and took a deep breath. "Steve died a few months ago in a car accident."

"How about your parents? I've never heard you talk about your parents," Peyton asked.

Haley looked down at her feet. "They died a couple of years ago." She looked first at Peyton, then at Brooke. "You must think I'm jinxed or something. I mean, everybody who is important in my life seem to drop like flies. I know I'm jinxed."

Brooke who had been silent all this while walked up to her and gathered her in a hug. "I'm so sorry Haley. I didn't know how difficult your life was before you came here. And you're not jinxed so stop saying that."

Haley pulled away and smiled a bitter smile. "Thanks Brooke." She turned her attention to Peyton who now had tears in her eyes.

"But there's no picture of Steve in the house. Don't you want to remember him?" Peyton asked.

Haley closed her eyes briefly. "It's just too difficult Peyton," she said evasively. Peyton nodded in understanding. There were no judgment in her eyes, and for that Haley was grateful. "Emmm guys, do you think you can not tell anybody about this?"

"Say no more. Our lips are sealed," Peyton said reassuringly.

Brooke smiled through her tears. "Well I think we're bummed enough for today. How about we do something fun? You girls still want to go the mall?" she asked looking at them both.

"Can we just stay here and have a girls' night in?" Haley suggested. She didn't feel like going out after her emotional revelation.

Peyton nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm down with that. Do you have any good movies?" she asked Haley. "And we can order some pizza. Karen makes really good pepperoni pizzas. I can call her if you want."

Haley clapped her hands, happy with a night in with the girls. "Yeah, that sounds good. Hang on, let me find something we can watch," she said and went to her living room, rummaging through her cabinet.

Brooke looked at Peyton with raised eyebrows once Haley was gone. "Oh my God the poor girl," she whispered. "I knew there was something going on with her."

"Yeah, makes you think your problem is not that big isn't it?" Peyton said, referring to Brooke's baby problem, silencing her as she reflected on her own life.

They were just starting to watch a rerun of "Friends" on the telly when they heard a knock on the door. Brooke looked at Haley questioningly. "Were you expecting someone?" she asked.

"No," Haley answered.

"Oh yeah, I called Karen justnow and she said that Nathan was on his way to your house Brooke, so she gave him some pizzas for us," Peyton said, her eyes still glued to the telly. After the emotional conversation they had just now, watching reruns of "Friends" was a good way to put a smile back on their faces.

Another insistent knock on the door made Brooke groan in exasperation. "Is anybody ever gonna get the door?"

"Fine, I'll get," Haley volunteered. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt giddy with anticipation. She felt like teenager again, about to open the door expecting to see her crush. The door creaked open slowly and Haley smiled nervously at Nathan. "Hi, is that our pizza?"

"Yeah, pepperoni with extra pepperoni." He poked his head in the house and saw Peyton and Brooke sprawled out in front of the telly. "Looks like you girls are having fun."

"Yeah, we are. We're hungry though. Emmm pizza?" she asked, indicating the box of pizza still in his hands.

Nathan looked down at his hands and looked at the pizza box, as if seeing it for the first time. "Oh yeah, here you go." He handed it to her, their hands brushing sending tingles up her spine. "So, I should leave you girls. See you." He was about to leave when Haley's voice stopped him.

"Hey, do you want to join us? You can ask Lucas to come over too," she whispered.

Nathan grinned at her and whispered back. "Yeah, sure. But why are we whispering?"

Haley looked at Brooke and Peyton guiltily. "We were supposed to have a girl's night in, but since you're here already." She let the words hang in the air. "Just don't tell Brooke and Peyton I asked you guys to come."

"Why you sneaky girl," Nathan said teasingly. He had to keep his hands in his pockets to stop himself from touching her.

"Haley!" Brooke yelled. "What's taking you so long? We're starving!"

Nathan laughed knowing full well that Brooke didn't like to wait. Especially when it came to food. "You'd better go. I'll be back with Lucas in a sec. Wait for me," he said giving her a wink.

"Ok, I'll wait," she promised and slowly closed the door. With a giddy sigh, she carried the box of pizza to Brooke who was pouting at having to wait for so long.

She practically ripped the box open and took a large bite of a piece. "What were you and Nathan talking about anyway?"

Haley smiled. "Nothing."

Peyton eyed her curiously. Something happened between the time she got up to answer the door and now. Something that made her eyes light up. "You like him, don't you?" she asked, her lips curving into a small smile. Peyton watched as Haley's cheeks go red, confirming her suspicion.

"Of course I like. He's a nice guy," Haley said. "I like Lucas too. And I'm sure I'll like Jake too, if I ever meet him. How come I've never met him anyway?" she asked hoping to change the subject. Her question was left unanswered when another knock was heard on the door. "I'll get it," she said and started to get up.

"Oh no you don't. I'll get it," Peyton said still giving him the curious eye.

"Surprise!" Jake yelled at the door. He grinned as he watched his girlfriend's eyes light up before leaning down to give her a kiss. "Oh and I brought two idiots along with me," he said looking over his shoulder.

Lucas walked past him, but not before flicking the back of his head. "Shut up Jake. You two can stay out here and continue sucking each other's faces. Nate and I are going in."

Lucas headed straight at Brooke who went wide eyed with surprise. She gave him a guilty look which made him laugh. "Sorry, I know I told you were gonna go shopping but we just didn't feel like it. Sorry I didn't tell you I was here all along."

He sat down next to Brooke and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. How are you feeling? Better?" He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, and suddenly her problems flew right out of the window.

"Much better now that you're here," she said snuggling closer to him.

Haley watched their loving exchange and smiled to herself. Moving to Tree Hill was the right thing to do. She truly believed that she could be happy here. She made good friends and she had a good job. She gave a small sigh. If only her past didn't have to keep chasing her.

"Hey," Nathan's voice made her head turn.

"Hey," she answered softly. They looked at each other for the longest time before she tore her gaze away from him and focused on her feet instead.

"Sorry I brought Jake along. He came by the house justnow and as much as I was tempted to leave him, I'm sure he'd kill me if I did."

Haley laughed. God he loved to hear that sound. "It's fine. I'm glad you guys came."

"You are?"

"Yeah, the more the merrier, right? Do you want anything to drink?" she asked and headed to the kitchen.

"Yeah, what do you have?" He followed her into the kitchen, glad to be away from the rest of the gang. They didn't notice Peyton watched them from the doorway and smiled a knowing smile.

Haley rummaged through her fridge and brought out a couple of soda cans. She looked at Nathan guiltily and said, "sorry I don't have any beer in my fridge. I don't drink that much." She looked so flustered it made her look cuter in Nathan's eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Do you have coffee?"

She smiled at him sweetly. "I have something much better. Hot chocolate and marshmallows." Her eyes lit up like a kid making Nathan laugh out loud.

Excellent. Haley James, I didn't know there was a kid in you." He shook his head in wonderment. This girl continued to surprise him and he would never be bored.

She took out a couple of mugs and prepared the hot chocolate with her back on him. "There's always a kid in everybody. We're just afraid to show it."

Nathan sat down on one of the chairs, content with just being in her company. Just seeing her in school wasn't enough. He had to be near her always and he knew th feeling was mutual. He just hoped that sooner rather than later, she would realize that too.

"So what about you that you're afraid to show?" he asked, curiosity getting the best of him. Haley stopped midway on her way to the table at the question.

"Quite a few things," she said enigmatically and brought the mugs of steaming hot chocolate over. "Oh wait! Marshmallows," she said suddenly remembering. "Here you go," she said, handing him the packet of unopened marshmallows. He snapped the packet open, sending a whole bunch of marshmallows flying on the floor.

"Oh crap," he cursed under his breath. Perfect timing to make a fool out of himself. "I'm so sorry Hales," he said and quickly picked them up. He could hear Haley bursting with laughter in the background. He turned to look at her shaking with mirth, one hand covering her mouth. "Oh so you think this is funny. Here, take that!" he said and threw a couple of marshmallows at her.

"Hey!" she said in between her laughter. "You'd better hurry. Your hot chocolate's getting cold." She dropped a couple in his mug before doing the same to hers and took a sip. She closed her eyes and smiled. "This tastes just like the one my mom used to make for me."

"Do you miss them? Your parents I mean," Nathan asked.

"Every single day," she said softly.

"And your husband?"

She bit her lip, unsure of how to answer the question. She had been trying to store her memories of Steve at the far back of her mind. "Steve? Yeah, sure," she finally said, although her answer didn't sound too convincing to Nathan.

Nathan wasn't sure what to make of her answer, but he was quite certain that he saw a hint of anger in her eyes. He decided to let it slide. "Hey, you've got something on your face," he said, drawing his chair closer to her. He reached for face and wiped a spot of chocolate from the corner of her lips. His fingers lingered longer than necessary, turning his touch into a soft caress. She closed her eyes at his touch, her skin burning with every stroke of his fingers.

"Haley, I know you said we shouldn't do this," he whispered. He didn't finish his sentence. Instead he traced her lips softly with his thumb, and unable to wait any longer brought her chin closer and kissed her softly on her lips. His heart was hammering in his chest at the contact as a surge of emotions overwhelmed him. His tongue lingered at the entrance of her lips, urging them open. She did and he let out a small groan as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, gentling stroking her tongue. She let out a whimper as their tongues continued to mingle, tasting and teasing each other. She let herself drown in the kiss although every cell in her body was telling her to stop.

"Yo Nate!" Jake yelled, making them both jump. A few seconds later Jake came bounding into the kitchen, followed by Peyton who obviously looked angry.

"Jake I told you not to go the kitchen," she said angrily. "Sorry," she said to Nathan and Haley. They exchanged looks before Haley stood up and offered her hand.

"Hi you must be Jake. I'm Haley," she said clearing her throat.

Jake smilingly took her hand and shook it firmly. "Hey Haley. We finally meet. Sorry we didn't get a chance to meet earlier. What were you two doing in the kitchen anyway?" he asked. Haley's cheeks blushed furiously as she remembered their kiss.

"We were just having hot chocolate," she said. She then turned to Peyton and grabbed her arm. "Peyton can I talk to you?" She didn't wait for her to answer before dragging her out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Yeah, what's up?" Peyton said giving her an innocent look.

"Why did you tell Jake not to go to the kitchen?" Haley asked.

"Because you and Nathan obviously could use some alone time," she answered casually.

"What?" Haley groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. She then returned her attention to Peyton. "Peyton, you don't understand. Nothing can happen between me and Nathan."

Peyton smiled and held her at arm's length. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see will we?" she said and winked.

_Oh my God this cannot be happening,_ she thought to herself.

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**Good? Bad? Let me know ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello guys. Your reviews for the last chapter although there weren't many were awesome. I'm glad you're liking the story so here's the new chappy. Let me know what you think. Cheers! ;)**

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Chapter 7

Haley waited patiently in her car waiting for Nathan to come out of his house. As promised she had come to pick him to go to the community centre where he coaches basketball every Saturday. She stared ahead at the road in front of her and thought about the road she left behind. It had taken a lot of her courage to talk about her miscarriage with Peyton and Brooke but she was glad she did. Back then when it happened she didn't have any friends to talk to. Steve had made sure of that. She thought about Steve, her high school sweetheart. She thought about her marriage, how he made her so happy when they just became man and wife, and how quickly things changed after that. She was lost in her memories of her previous life when a tap on the window jerked her back to the present. She turned to see a grinning Nathan looking in.

"Huh, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're stalking me." He got in her car, the cheeky grin still plastered on his handsome face. "You're here early. Had breakfast yet?"

"Yeah, I did," she said not daring to look at him. She didn't want an excuse for him to be alone with her and if she hadn't had breakfast, she knew that he would take her somewhere where they could have breakfast together. They hadn't talk about their last kiss and she didn't want to be reminded of it. Everytime she did she could a hot flush creeping up her neck.

He put a hand on her lap making her suck in a breath. She could feel his skin on hers even through her jeans. "Are you alright? Did my face change overnight?"

She shook her head, still afraid to look at him. "What makes you say that?"

"Probably because you refuse to look at me." He turned her face gently so she could face him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she stammered. "We should go."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong. Did I do something?" He continued to look at her. Suddenly it dawned on him. "Is it because we kissed the other night?" She closed her eyes which gave him the confirmation.

She couldn't see him smile at her through her closed eyes, but she could hear him say, "well, that's too bad coz I've been wanting to do that again." Before she knew she could feel his breath on her face as he drew them closer until she felt his lips on hers. He kissed her gently as if taking his time, letting his lips linger on hers as if daring her to react. She gave an involuntary sigh when she felt his tongue at the entrance of her mouth, probing them open.

"Let me in Hales," he whispered. She relented and parted her lips eliciting a low groan from him. Their tongues met in a most intense kiss as he continued to suck and explore the deeper crevices of her mouth. She moaned making him want her more. Suddenly, images of her and Steve entered her mind.

_Flashback_

_She was alone in the house when Steve came in, his breath reeking with the stench of alcohol. It had been a routine for them lately. She would be at home, waiting for him to return drunk. This time she finally found the courage to stand up to him. _

_"Are you drunk again?"_

_"Yeah, what's it to you?" he growled. "What are you gonna do about it?" _

_"I can't do this anymore Steve," she said, her voice getting stronger with every word._

_"Can't do what?" She could see him coming nearer and nearer and she had to turn away to avoid the stench. "Don't look away from me. Don't you dare look away from me!" he yelled and grabbed her face roughly. He crushed his lips on her and when she resisted, he slapped her hard making her head spin from the force._

_"Kiss me you bitch!" he yelled as he forced his lips on her again._

_End of flashback_

She pushed him away, her hands trembling. "Stop it," she said, her voice shaking as she tried to force the memory out of her head. "Please stop it," she begged.

He could feel her shaking and he put his hands on her arms as if to still her. "Hey, are you okay?" He didn't know what just happened but he could tell that she was scared.

"You have to stop doing that," she finally said, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper.

He gently caressed her cheek trying to calm her down. "Why? You feel it too, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, avoiding her gaze.

"You don't? Here, let me show you." He took her hand and placed it on her beating heart. She couldn't tell whether it was because of the kiss or because of the painful memory that had come flooding back. Then he took another hand and placed it on her chest. She could feel both their hearts racing. She pulled her hand away from his chest as if she had been burnt.

"I think we should go. The kids will be waiting." She hit the ignition, bringing the car to life. She could feel his eyes boring and she kept her eyes on the road. They rode silently except for Nathan who gave her directions to the community centre every once in a while. Finally they reached their destination after twenty minutes of her keeping silent.

"Well, we're here," Nathan said and got out of the car. He saw her walking swiftly away from him. "Haley, wait." He caught up with her and took her hand. "Haley, what is it? Look at me will you?" He tilted her chin to force her to look at him and when she did, he could see her eyes brimming with tears. "Haley, talk to me."

She shook her head silently as the tears started to fall. "I can't. Please don't make me. Please. " Her body started to convulse as she sobbed. Nathan could feel his heart breaking seeing her like this, knowing that there was nothing he could do to help unless she let him in. He pulled her close and let her cry in his arms.

"Shhhh...it's okay. I'm here. It's okay," he said soothingly. The sounds of children laughing in the background made her pull away, and she hastily wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"We should go in," she said and straightened herself up.

"Haley," Nathan said softly. "Whatever it is you're going through I'm here for you, okay?" He reached for a stray strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear, letting his hand linger there. "Come on let's go in. There are some people I'd like you to meet." He took her hand and clutched it tightly, not wanting to let go as they both walked in.

The moment they entered the building, Haley could feel her spirit lift again as she saw a group of children between seven and twelve in little groups. "Hey little man. How's your jump shot these days?" Nathan asked a boy of about seven years old who had come up to them and ruffled his hand on the boy's head. "Haley, this is Jackson. Jackson, this is Ms. James."

Jackson extended his hand and smiled shyly at her. "Hi Ms. James. You're pretty."

Haley laughed, all the troubles felt like a million miles away. "Thank you Jackson. You're a handsome boy too," she said taking his hand.

Jackson looked up at Nathan. "Is she your girlfriend?" he asked in a matter-of-fact way.

Nathan looked at Haley uncertainly before winking at Jackson. "Not yet, but she will be soon. Come on, let's get started." He turned his attention to the group of children and said loudly, "okay guys. I told you last week that starting from this week we'll be having Ms. James joining us who will be tutoring you. We'll start by doing some stretching and then I'll divide you into two groups. The first group will play first on the court while the second group will be with Ms. James. And then we'll switch. How does that sound?"

A murmur of agreement could be heard and Nathan gave Haley a satisfied look. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. Something stirred within her as she watched Nathan with the children. He looked so comfortable around them and they loved him. He finished dividing them into two groups and led the first group and Haley to a corner in the building. He went up to her and smile. "Have fun," he said before giving her a gently peck on the lips.

She heard her group snicker and turned to them and smiled. "Okay, what shall we do today? Any suggestions?"

Nathan watched her from the corner of his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips as he saw her deep in concentration. He could watch her all day. He could tell that she was enjoying every minute of it. She lifted her head and caught his eye and smiled shyly before returning her attention to her students.

"Very good David," she said to a student who had gotten an answer right.

David smiled triumphantly. "I like you. You make it sound so easy. Are you gonna be here every week?" he asked.

"Yes I am," she said and smiled back. She silently thanked Nathan who had given her a chance to do the thing she loved most. In fact he had helped her in more ways than she could imagine and yet she couldn't let go of her fear. She had built a thick wall around her and it was slowly cracking and it disconcerted her. She knew she had to let go of her past but somehow everytime she tried to run away from it, it always manage to catch up with her.

Three hours later, she watched the last student exit the building and heaved a sigh of satisfaction. She started to help Nathan collect the basketballs and putting them into bags.

"Well, what do you think?" Nathan asked, his t-shirt drenched in sweat which made him look sexier than ever.

"I think you need a shower," Haley said and giggled. "You stink." The joy of teaching that morning had sent her in a state of euphoria.

"Oh yeah?" He came up to her and picked her up over his shoulder. "Do I stink now?"

"Nathan!" she yelled. "Put me down! I'm scared of heights. Oh God, I feel sick." He quickly put her down muttering apology.

"Shit, sorry Hales."

Suddenly, she threw a ball at him which he dodged just in time. "Hah! Take that you stinker!"

"Why you little devil," he said grinning. He wiped away the sweat glistening on his face and wiped his hand on Haley's shirt making her squeal. He laughed at her reaction. "Huh, looks like you're gonna stink too." They stood grinning at each other.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For giving me this," she motioned her hand at the building. She looked down at her feet and said, "listen, I know I've been acting weird and I just want you to know that it's got nothing to do with you. I just need time."

"Time for what?"

She looked at him and bit her lips. "Time to find myself again. I've been feeling so lost lately and I need to find my way back. I know this sounds crazy. Nathan, you've been more than a friend to me and you may not understand it, but I just need you to know that I'm glad that you're here."

He placed his hands on his arms and smiled at her. "Haley, I'll always be here for you. And whatever it is you're running from, you can't run forever."

"I know," she said quietly.

He didn't want to force her but he could feel that she was slowly trusting him and he didn't want to ruin that. "Okay come on. I promised my mom we'll stop by for lunch. Are you hungry?"

"Are you gonna shower first?"

He laughed at her question. "Yeah, wait here a minute while I hit the showers. Don't drive off without me."

"Huh, sounds tempting."

He waved a finger at her. "Don't you dare. I know where you live," he said warningly. Her face suddenly grew pale at the remark, her stomach churning at the words. "Hales, are you okay?"

She made a step back and quickly recovered. "Yeah, I'm fine. Go. I'll wait here."

He looked at her curiously before making his way to the showers to freshen up. _Looks like you have more demons from your past, more than you're letting me know Hales._

* * *

By the time they reached Karen's, the whole gang was already there chatting with each other. "Hi guys," Haley said in greeting.

"Hey," they chorused. "How was the tutoring?" Peyton asked.

"It was great. I had a good time." She sat herself down on an empty chair and Nathan pulled a chair to sit next to her.

Nathan made a face at them. "She had a good time? You should see the kids. They wouldn't let her go." He could see that she was starting to blush. Obviously she needed to work on taking compliments. "And you should see her. She was awesome."

"Okay Nathan stop," Haley said although she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. "Nathan was great too. I didn't know you were so good with kids."

"There's a lot of things about me you don't know too Hales," he said.

Brooke squealed with delight. "Oh my God! You guys are so flirting. This is awesome."

Lucas looked at Haley apologetically. "Sorry my wife here. She gets excited easily," he said although he couldn't help but smile at the two of them. Nathan was looking happier since Haley came to town and he believed that they might be good for each other. "Okay who wants what?" he asked taking orders. There was a moment of chaos when all them starting saying their orders out loud.

"Are you guys always like this?" Haley asked Jake who was seated next to her.

Jake winked at her. "Always, and you haven't seen nothing yet." She grinned as she enjoyed the scene. This was the closest to a family lunch for her and she loved every minute of it, noise and all.

When they had finished shouting, she got up and said, "let me take your orders to Karen." The moment she said it, there was a moment of silence before a round of applause broke out. She looked at them puzzled. "What? What did I say?"

Nathan grinned at her. "Nobody has ever volunteered to do that. Ever. You're gonna wish you didn't do that Hales."

Peyton swatted his arm playfully. "Hey, don't go poisoning her brain."

Haley shook her head at them and walked up to Karen. "Hi Karen."

The older woman turned and looked at her in surprise. "Oh so you're the victim today huh? Usually it's Nathan who got bullied into taking the orders and he always gets them wrong."

"Well, let's see if I can get it right today." She started to read out their orders. "And Jake wants cheeseburger with extra cheese." When she had finished she looked at Karen. "Do you need help with all these. I can help out if you want to. These are a lot of orders."

"Are you sure?" Karen asked uncertainly. "Dan's in the kitchen helping me out today but if you want to you can help him. He can be a klutz in the kitchen sometimes. Here, take this apron," she said and handed her an apron. Haley tied her hair back and took the apron and made her way to the kitchen. What she saw made her understand what Karen was talking about. The kitchen was a mess and in the middle of it was a flustered looking Dan.

"Mr. Scott? Errr..do you need help?" she asked tentatively.

"Huh? What?" Dan said distractedly and turned around. He immediately straightened himself up when he saw her standing in the kitchen. "Oh hi Haley. Oh my God, things are crazy in here." Haley bit back her laughter at the sight of the mayor of Tree Hill clad in apron and looking every bit out of place in the kitchen.

"Here, let me give you a hand," she said and started to get to work. She managed to get the kitchen in order before getting the orders out. Dan was looking at her like he was about to pass out and managed to mutter his gratitude. "Mr. Scott, looks like we've got every order taken care off. I think you should sit down."

Dan laughed warmly. "Thanks Haley. God I need a drink."

"Everything okay in here?" Karen poked her head in the kitchen and laughed at the sight of her husband. "You okay honey? Come on, I think I've tortured you enough for one day. Why don't you take care of the counter?" She winked at Haley and led Dan out with Haley close behind with the gang's order.

Jake's eyes lit up when he saw Haley and Karen carrying their food. "I don't believe it. It's a miracle. You got every order right." He smirked at Nathan. "She's making you look bad dude."

She handed Nathan his plate of food and sat down next to him. "Eat up guys."

Nathan looked at her and smiled. "Is there anything you can't do Haley James?" He took her hand in his and squeezed it tight. She looked down at her lap and saw their hand intertwined and it felt right. If only she could make herself believe that it really was right. But she knew that there were still a lot of hurdles she had to go through before she could give in to her feelings for Nathan.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys. Sorry I've been missing for a while but I'm back with a new chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint with this one. Once again thank you so much for your last reviews. Let me know what you think of this one. Cheers! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 8

"Errr Brooke, I think this dress is too small," Haley said as she struggled into the tight dress Brooke had given to her to try. They were at Clothes Over Bros at Brooke's insistence however much Haley protested. Since Haley expressed her admiration for Brooke's clothing, she thought that she would give Haley a treat. She also figured it was a good way to get over her baby problem. She really appreciated the fact that Lucas was being very supportive, but to her mind he couldn't possibly have a clue as to what she was going through at the moment.

She stood patiently outside the changing room for a minute before banging on the door. "Okay open up. I'm coming in," she said, not even waiting for Haley to respond. The door clicked open and Brooke let herself in. A smile broke out on her face as she saw Haley in the midnight blue dress. "Oh my God Haley. You look gorgeous. That dress is perfect on you. Hey Peyton! Come see this!" she yelled at Peyton who was rummaging through the racks of clothes.

"No no no. I look weird. Don't let her see." She tried to wriggle out of the dress but she wasn't quick enough. Peyton was in the spacious changing room in a flash. Judging by her face, she agreed with Brooke. The dress accentuated her figure in all the right places.

"Awww Haley, you look adorable. Nathan will totally flip when he sees this."

"Wait, Nathan?" she stammered. He was the last person she wanted to see in the dress.

Peyton and Brooke grinned mischievously. "Yeah, I can see him drooling when he sees in this on your romantic date," Brooke said gleefully.

Haley's eyes went as wide as saucers as she made a step back away from them. "Whoa hold on. What date?"

"The date that you guys are gonna go on, soon I think." Peyton went around her and smoothed down the dress, nodding her approval. Of all the guys in the gang, besides Lucas, Peyton knew Nathan the best, probably because they dated briefly in high school. Even if her friends didn't see it, she could see the sparks flying between Haley and Nathan so bright it could make a person blind.

Haley looked at her friends fearfully. "Guys, I appreciate you guys bringing me here, especially you Brooke but I'm not ready to go on a date. It's too soon."

"Honey, it's never too soon. Trust me," Brooke said and winked at her. "Anyway, we'll talk about you and Nathan another day. But for now, take that dress off and I'll put it in a box. See it as a welcome to Tree Hill present."

Haley flushed with embarrassment. "Brooke, you don't have to do that. This is too much. I don't even want to think about how much this dress costs. Plus I have nowhere to wear this to," she rambled as she tried to make up excuses.

"Haley, stop. It's not too much. You don't have to think about how much the dress costs and there's gonna be one day when you will need this dress. Like on a date with Nathan," she said grinning.

Her flushed cheeks grew redder at the mention of a date with Nathan. The thought of it sent a tingle of excitement up and down her spine with a mixture of fear. "You guys, I'm serious. I'm not ready to go on a date. Not with Nathan and not with anybody else."

Peyton watched her from the corner of her eyes as if trying to figure her out. She thought Haley's eyes looked a bit misty but then again, she could be imagining things. But one thing was for sure, Haley was looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Okay Brooke. I think that's enough for one morning. Look at her, you're making her squirm," Peyton scolded Brooke. She knew her friend could get carried away when it came to matchmaking, which according to her, was her forte. She took Haley's arm and led her out of the changing room and away from Brooke.

"Sorry, Brooke can be a bit, well Brooke. But she has a good heart."

Haley smiled gratefully at Peyton. "I know. It's just hard," she said as she struggled to get the words out.

Peyton noticed that Brooke was out of earshot and used the opportunity to talk to Haley. "Hey, you know me and Nathan used to date in high school." She was surprised when Haley smirked. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just figured as much. You guys seem close," Haley said and pretended to be interested in the clothes lining the rack. She didn't really want to talk about Nathan although she could see that Peyton was intent on doing so. "Why did you guys break up?" she finally asked out of curiosity.

Peyton laughed good naturedly and shrugged. "Didn't work out. I guess we were better at being friends. But he was a great boyfriend and we had a lot of fun. He's a real gentleman. He has a temper but he only ever shows it when he's protecting the people he cares about-" Peyton's words were cut short by Haley interrupting.

"Peyton, why are you telling me all this?" she asked. Her question took Peyton by surprise, which showed on her face. She quickly recovered and looked at Haley in the eye."

"You've been hurt before haven't you? Your marriage wasn't a happy one, at least not towards the end," she said bluntly. This time it was Haley's turn to be surprised.

"How did you know that?" Haley stammered. She thought she was pretty good at hiding her feelings and keeping her emotions intact.

"I didn't. You just told me. Don't worry I won't tell anyone," Peyton said. "Look I don't know what happened between you and Steve and I know it's none of my business, but Haley, everybody deserves a second chance at happiness. I've seen the way you and Nathan look at each other and there is something there no matter how hard you try to deny it. Sure, I understand that you need time to heal and I get that your life wasn't exactly happy before you came here but don't you think that you need to experience a bad relationship first to get to a really good one?"

This time Peyton was right. She saw that Haley had tears in her eyes before she tried to look away. "Peyton, I appreciate you trying to do all this for me but you don't know what you're talking about." She started to turn to leave and hesitated before facing Peyton again. "Thank you for wanting to help but I have to go. Please tell Brooke that I had fun. I'll see you around," she said quietly. Before Peyton could stop her, she was gone and all Peyton could do was to shake her head and sigh.

Just then Brooke walked up to her and looked around the shop. "Where did Haley go?"

"She eh, she had to go somewhere," Peyton said distractedly.

"But she left her dress behind," Brooke said, looking disappointed.

"Apparently, that's not the only thing she left behind. She left behind her heart too," Peyton muttered under her breath.

* * *

It was a beautiful morning, albeit a little cold but that didn't stop Haley from coming to the docks. Nathan was right, this place was peaceful and she needed the stillness and calmness of the place to think. Or to try to forget. She looked around and took in the beauty of her surroundings. The docks was beautiful at night and even the morning sun could not take away its beauty during the day. She walked around and returned the smiles of people passing her by. Everybody looked so happy and she envied them. At last she came to the spot where she and Nathan stood in the rain the other night and thought of him. She didn't realize that he had come up behind her.

"You stole my spot," he said in his deep throaty voice, making her turn around. "Hi," he grinned at her.

She smiled shyly at him. Even when he was sweaty, he looked devastatingly handsome. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

Nathan looked around before turning his attention back at her. "I was doing my morning run and I usually stop here for a couple of minutes. What are you doing here?" It was his turn to ask. She saw that he was looking at her with interest.

"I was at Clothes Over Bros this morning," she said as if that explained everything.

"Ahhhhh," he said knowingly. "Too much of Brooke this early in the morning?" he asked with raised eyebrows. The mention of Brooke made her suddenly realize that she had left the dress at Clothes Over Bros.

"Oh shit! I left the dress there!" she exclaimed, hoping that Brooke wouldn't think her ungrateful after giving the dress to her as a gift. "I should probably go back there and pick up the dress."

"Whoa what dress?"

"Brooke gave me this beautiful dress as a welcome present and I actually left it there. She must think I'm a moron or something. Or an ungrateful moron, which is worse."

Nathan laughed at her rambling, which he found extremely adorable and gave her a lazy smile. "I don't know if you've realized this, but she lives next door to your house. I'm sure she'll bring it over."

She looked at him and folded her arms in amusement. "You have the answer to everything, don't you?"

He shrugged, as if mocking her. "I try but no, not everything." He leaned towards her and said, "I don't have the answer as to why one minute we would be perfectly okay talking to each other, and the next minute you would run away from me as if I were a mad man chasing you with an axe. I am guessing it would be ten minutes from now."

Haley looked stricken for a minute. "Nathan, I didn't mean-"

"Haley, stop. I was just pulling your legs," he said laughing. "You should be careful. You're pretty gullible."

She smirked at him. "Yeah, don't I know it." They started walking in comfortable silence before she turned to ask, "Hey Nathan. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure." He noticed that she was shivering slightly and looked around for someplace to get hot drinks and spotted one nearby. "Hold that thought. I'll be right back," he said to her. A few minutes later he came back with two cups of hot chocolate and handed one to her. She took it gratefully and looked at him with a smile. Peyton was right about him. He was a gentleman. But then again, so was Steve. "So what is it that you wanted to ask?" he said as he took a sip.

She hesitated for a minute and looked down at her finger, the one that used to have her wedding ring. "How long before you called off your wedding did you start to date again?"

He took a moment to consider the question. "A few months, but they were meaningless. Just girls I went out with to make me forget about the pain. I never gave the girls or even me a chance to make it into something more." He sighed. "I guess I was just afraid of trusting again, of needing somebody again." He turned to look at her. "But after a while I figured that my experience with Rachel made me realize that maybe it takes one bad relationship to get to a really good one."

"Funny, Peyton said the same thing," she said and sipped the last of her hot chocolate.

"Ahhh she's a wise woman. You should listen to her sometime," he said jokingly. "Come here," he said and gestured for her to come nearer.

She looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he meant. "Why? What are you doing?"

"You're cold. Come here." She looked at him uncertainly. "Haley don't be such an idiot. I'm not gonna bite. Just come here already," he insisted. She edged closer to him and he took her in his arms, rubbing her arms and letting his body heat do its work.

She let herself be enveloped by the strong arms and closed her eyes. She could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest and felt her own heart doing the same.

"Do you feel better?" he asked softly, loving the feel of her in his arms all the while thinking he could hold her like this forever.

She shivered, but not from the cold, more from his touch. He held her even more tightly and felt her nod. "Yeah, thank you," she said in a small voice. She then reluctantly pulled herself away from the comfort of his arms, fearing that if he held her longer, her walls that she had built might break and then there was no turning back.

The disappointment was evident on his face as soon as she pulled away. "Wow, that's a first," he said. He saw her pull her long brown hair and tied it into a ponytail and was mesmerized when he realized that no matter how she wore her hair, she still looked beautiful.

"What is?" she asked.

"You not running away from me within ten minutes of being near to me," he said jokingly, his eyes sparkling when he saw her smile.

"Well, you gotta start somewhere, right?"

He looked at her in wonder. "Why, Haley James. Are you flirting with me? Who would've guessed?"

She looked stricken for a minute. And then her face changed when she heard him laugh. "Pulling my leg again?" She hit him on his arms, emitting a loud yelp from him. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

He was still laughing as he rubbed his sore arms. "You really are one of a kind." He looked serious for a minute. "Hey, listen. Do you want to go out for dinner with me?"

* * *

Elsewhere, Peyton was at her office, surfing on the internet with anticipation. There was something about Haley that was begging to be found out and this was what she intended to do. From the moment she met her, she knew that there was more to her story than a miscarriage and a husband who died in a car accident. She typed furiously, hoping that she could find something that would shed a light.

"Let me see, where did she say she was from? I think it was Northridge, Los Angeles. Okay, here goes nothing," she clicked 'Enter' and waited for the page to come up. She was too wrapped up in her 'research' that she didn't hear Brooke coming in.

"Hey, P. Sawyer. Who's the act tonight?" she asked, referring to the band that was going to perform at Tric, the club that Peyton owned and ran. Her question was met with silence, which did not sit well with her. "Peyton, are you ignoring me? Why are you ignoring me?"

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Brooke, hang on. I'm in the middle of something here." A moment later she let out a sharp gasp. "Oh my God!"

Her curiosity got the better of her and she edged closer to Peyton. "What are you doing?" She looked at the screen of Peyton's laptop and her eyes went wide with shock. "Peyton Marie Sawyer, are you digging up on Haley?"

She tore her eyes away from the screen and looked at Brooke guiltily. "Kind of. Listen, something just didn't add with Haley."

Brooke leaned against the table with growing interest and looked at her."What do you mean?"

"Listen for a minute. She said that that she lost her baby but she didn't say how and did you notice that there is no picture of Steve in her house? Not one. Not even a wedding picture. And everytime we touched the subject of Steve, she would try to dodge it. And whenever we mention the idea of her and Nathan, I could see fear in her eyes."

"Okay, I'm with you there. So what did you find?"

Peyton turned the screen so Brooke could see better. "This."

* * *

Haley looked at Nathan's hopeful face. "Dinner?" she stammered. It sounded like a date to her, which freaked her out a little.

"Yeah, dinner. Where people go out and eat and have fun," he said in jest. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"I know what dinner is," she said impatiently. "It sounds like you're asking me out on a date."

He shrugged. "So what if it is a date?" He could see that she was considering it and felt a flicker of hope.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for a date yet," she said and looked away.

"Why not? Are you afraid of what might happen at the end of the date?" he asked suggestively. She looked at him questioningly. "Well, people usually kiss at the end of the date, but we've done that before," he said. The anticipation of hearing her say yes was starting to kill him slowly. He tilted her chin and looked deeply into her eyes. "Kinda feels like this." He bent his head and before she could protest, kissed her gently. She felt her knees go weak at his touch. The kiss was so abrupt that she didn't have time to react, and before she knew it, it was over.

"So what do you say Haley? Dinner with me?" he asked, begging her with his eyes. She felt herself nod and heard him groan before capturing her lips once again. "Good. I was hoping you'd say yes."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello guys! I hope I'm not posting this new chapter too soon ;) I know you guys are dying to find out what happened to Haley in the past and I'll reveal that slowly so be patient ok. So here's the new one. Have a read and let me know what you guys think. Love you guys! Cheers! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 9

Haley was walking along the hall in school when a tap on her shoulder made her turn around, and when she did she came face to face with a grinning Nathan. Almost instantly her heart fluttered at the sight of him.

"Hi," he said smiling. "Here let me carry those," he said, gesturing towards the pile of books she was carrying. Before she could protest, he had already taken them from her arms. Her skin tingled from his touch and she felt a shiver ran up her spine.

"Thanks," she said shyly. They started walking slowly towards her class. She turned to him and grinned. "You know, I'm beginning to feel like a high school teenager, being walked to her class by her boyfriend." The last words flowed out before she was able to stop it.

Nathan beamed at her. "Wow, boyfriend huh?" Fortunately for Haley, he held back from commenting further. "Yeah, I remember doing this with Peyton. I bet when you were in high school, boys would swarm around you fighting tooth and nail to carry your books."

"Actually, no. I wasn't popular or anything," she said. There were a few students in the hall waiting to get to their next class and Haley smiled at a couple of students she knew.

Nathan looked at her in surprise. "Seriously? I would have thought you rolled with that crowd."

She shook her head. "My boyfriend was though. He played football."

"Oh yeah?" He couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy at the thought of another guy walking her to class, let alone holding her. "What happened to the boyfriend?" he asked.

"I married him," she said quietly. In an instant her mood changed and she grew quiet.

"Oh, okay." He knew that she didn't like to talk about her marriage although inside he was dying to know. "You never talk about your husband much."

She quickened her step, hoping that she would get to her destination soon. "Hey, Haley wait." He pulled her back softly and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?" she asked while avoiding his eyes.

"This. You suddenly wanting to run away from me again. I'm sorry if I asked about your husband, but it was just to make conversation."

She looked at him with eyes full of pain. "I don't really like to talk about him."

"Do you still love him?" he asked softly, afraid to hear her answer.

"Nathan, I said I don't want to talk about him," she said with a trembling voice. "Can I have my books back? I'm late for class."

He looked at his watch and the still empty classroom. "No, you're not." He then looked up to her. "Look, I'm sorry if I was out of line. I didn't mean to upset you. Forgive me?"

She looked at his face, full of sincerity and nodded. "So how about dinner?" he asked, giving her a small smile while handing her books back to her.

"What dinner?" she asked in confusion.

"A little too young to be forgetful don't you think? You said that you'd go out for dinner with me. How about tonight?"

She gave him a nervous look. "Oh that. I didn't think you'd remember."

"Are you kidding me? Come on. What do you say?" She had to admit his boyish look was a little to hard to say no to. "I promise I'll have you back home by midnight. Scout's honour," he said and placed his hand on his chest. He saw that she was hesitating. "You know what. I'm not even gonna give you the chance to say no. So I'll pick you up at 7 tonight. And be warned, I'm a punctual guy," he said grinning.

She couldn't help but return his grin. He had that effect on her. He made her forget about Steve. "Okay. 7 o'clock."

He clapped his hands once triumphantly. "Excellent. So I'll see you at 7." He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek and winked before leaving. He felt his heart swell and felt like nothing could spoil his day today.

* * *

"Peyton, will you stop pacing? You're making me dizzy," Brooke said as she watched Peyton with amusement. It had been a couple of days since Peyton discovered Haley's past, and she still couldn't get it out of her head, and neither could Brooke. Things were made even more difficult because they kept bumping into Haley, especially Brooke who lived next door. Brooke went up to Peyton and placed her hands on Peyton's arms, halting her pacing.

"Okay, you have to stop," she said. "Take a deep breath." Peyton did as she was told. "Good. Now sit down," Brooke ordered. Peyton meekly sat down and looked up at her friend, a million questions swirling in her head, questions only Haley could answer. The problem was Haley didn't know that they knew what happened to her, and it might look bad on them since they were in reality snooping around.

"No wonder Haley's doesn't want to talk about her past," Peyton finally said when she could find the words. She gave Brooke a look of pure disbelief. "You know, it's been a few days since we saw the newspaper article, and I'm still in shock."

Brooke slung an arm over Peyton's shoulders. "I know honey, but think about what she went through. It's not like she's a serial killer or something. It's no wonder she's traumatized. And here we keep pushing her and Nathan."

Peyton put her hands on her face and leaned back on the couch, letting out a loud groan. "Uggghhh, I still can't get it out of my head. I feel so sorry for that girl." She was lamenting on Haley when a knock on the door made them both jump. They looked at each other before Peyton said, "I'm not getting up. It's your house. I'm gonna take another look at the newspaper article again on your laptop." She went to the Brooke's room while Brooke answered the door.

"Hi Brooke. I errr...are you busy?" Haley asked anxiously. It was already four o'clock and she didn't have a dress for her date with Nathan tonight. She was rummaging through her closet a few minutes earlier when she remembered the dress she left at Clothes Over Bros.

If Brooke was surprised to see Haley at the door, her face definitely showed it. "Haley," she stammered. "What are you doing here?" She looked nervously over her shoulders for signs of Peyton. When there was none, she faced Haley again and managed to put up a smile.

"I ehm...remember the dress you gave me the other day? I'm so sorry I left it there. I didn't mean to look ungrateful but I had to go somewhere and it just slipped off my mind," Haley apologized profusely.

Brooke opened the door wider. "Oh yeah, I have it with me. Don't worry about it. I know you've got a lot of things on your mind," she said knowingly and let Haley in. "Come on in."

As soon as Haley stepped into the house, Peyton came bounding from Brooke's room. "Hey Brooke, I hope you don't mind but I printed it so I can read it again later" she said waving the piece of paper in her hand. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Brooke's warning look and felt her heart stop when she saw Haley standing next to Brooke.

"Hi Peyton," Haley said smiling, unaware of what she was up to. "What do you have there?" she asked, gesturing towards the piece of paper.

Peyton quickly folded it and stuffed it into her pocket. "Ermm it's nothing. Just some stuff for the club. What are you doing here?" she asked nervously.

Haley looked equally nervous. "I have a sort of date with Nathan tonight."

"What?" both Brooke and Peyton yelled. They looked at each other at the same time. Peyton was the first to compose herself. After some quick thinking, she felt that this date could be a good idea for both Haley and Nathan. She knew now how much Haley was hurt the first time she gave her heart to someone. Maybe this time she would be luckier. And Nathan was the perfect guy for her.

"That's great," Peyton said and gave Haley a hug.

"It is?" Brooke asked and looked at Peyton who gave her a look. "It is great!" she exclaimed a while later.

Haley gave them both an odd look. "Are you two okay? You guys are acting a little weird." Brooke and Peyton nodded too enthusiastically. "Anyway, it's no big deal. We're just going out for dinner. I'm not sure I'm ready to call it a date yet. And that's why I came. I have nothing to wear." She bit her lip nervously, hoping Brooke would take the hint.

"Oh right! The dress. I'll go get it." Brooke scuttled to her room to retrieve the dress, leaving Peyton alone with Haley. Peyton looked around, thinking of the right words to say.

"So, a date with Nathan, huh? How are you feeling?" she asked eventually.

"Honestly? Scared," Haley answered.

Peyton put a comforting hand on Haley's shoulder. "I know you are honey," she said. "But Nathan's a great guy. Trust me."

Haley sat down on the couch and wrung her hands nervously. "Yeah, trusting is not something I'm good at right now. But I know what you mean, Nathan's a good guy. I'm just not sure I'm ready. It's only been a few months since Steve died."

"In a car accident right?" Peyton asked, probing for more information.

"Right," Haley said slowly and noticed that Peyton was looking at her curiously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Peyton took Haley's hands into hers and looked into her eyes. "Haley, I know that you're new here and we've only just known each other, but I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I mean if you need to talk or anything, I'm always here for you. So is Brooke."

Haley got up from the couch and walked to the fireplace. She picked up a photo of Brooke and Lucas on their wedding day. She lifted her eyes from the photo and looked at Peyton. "Thanks Peyton. That means a lot to me." She wanted so much to tell her about what happened between her and Steve but the words were caught in her throat. She didn't think she could trust herself to say the words. "It's just that Steve-"

She didn't manage to finish her sentence when Brooke returned with her dress. "Oh great, you told Haley that we know what happened to Steve."

"Brooke-" Peyton said, fear evident in her eyes.

"What do you mean you know what happened?" Haley asked, her voice shaking with every word.

Brooke didn't get Peyton's hint. "Oh we found a newspaper article from Northridge about how Steve died." The moment she said it, there was a loud crash as the photo Haley was holding fell to the floor.

Peyton grabbed Brooke's arm and pulled her aside. "Brooke, she doesn't know that we know." She then turned to Haley who had gone ghostly pale in the face. "Haley, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Haley looked at them as if she was seeing them for the first time. She then looked at the shattered photo frame on the floor. "I'm sorry Brooke. I'll get you a new frame. I have to go," she said quickly. Suddenly she felt like the room was spinning and her last thought was of Steve and Nathan before she collapsed on the floor.

"Oh my God Brooke!" Peyton exclaimed. She quickly went over to Haley. "Haley? Haley wake up. Oh God. Brooke help me!"

Nathan was getting ready at home, singing softly to himself as he thought about her date with Haley. He still couldn't believe that Haley would agree to go out with him, not that he was complaining. He felt like a teenager again, about to go to his date's house to pick her up. He reached for his car keys and grabbed the flowers that he had brought earlier. He didn't know what Haley liked so he got some nice little purple flowers. She didn't look like the rose type of girl. Still humming to himself, he turned the knob to his door when his cell phone rang.

"Hello? Oh hey Sawyer. What's up? Can you make this quick? I'm running late to pick Haley up," he said as he cradled the phone with his shoulder while trying to close the door with his other hand.

"It's Haley," Peyton stuttered on the other line. "She's at the hospital. She collapsed at Brooke's place just now."

"What?" Nathan yelled disbelievingly as panic set in. "I'll be right there." He raced to his car and with a screech of the tires he sped away.

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Nathan said as soon as he saw Peyton, Brooke and Lucas at the emergency room. His tie was now a loose knot around his neck.

Brooke went to give her brother-in-law a hug before saying, "we were at my place and she was there to pick up a dress. And then we started talking and the next thing we knew she just collapsed on the floor. Lucas came home right after that and he drove us to the hospital. The doctor's with her now. He should be out in a minute."

"Thanks Luke," Nathan said gratefully to his brother. He then turned to Brooke and Peyton. "What were you guys talking about? "

"We were-" Peyton was saved from answering when the doctor came out. All four of them crowded around him and talked at the same time. He put a hand up and gestured for them to be quiet.

"How is she?" Nathan asked worriedly.

The doctor looked at his chart before looking up again. "She's fine. She's conscious now. A little disoriented though."

"Do you know what happened?" Lucas asked while Peyton and Brooke looked at each other nervously.

The doctor shook his head. "It could be anything. Stress, exhaustion, anxiety. Just keep her rested and she'll be fine by morning."

Nathan shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you doctor. Can I see her?" he asked.

The doctor smiled kindly. "Yes, you can. You can bring her home actually but like I said, keep her rested."

Nathan looked at his friends who nodded their go ahead. He then walked slowly to where Haley was. He saw her trying to get up from the bed and was at her side in a flash. "Hey, slowly. I've got you," he said and put and arm around her waist to help her sit up. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Just a bump on the head when I fell," she said quietly. "You didn't have to come."

"Hey, a date at the hospital is better than no date at all, right?" he said, trying to make a joke out of the situation. Haley didn't see the humour although she managed to give him a small smile. "Come on, I'll take you home. Can you stand?" She nodded. He put his hand under her arms and lifted her from the bed. "Here we go." Haley managed to stand for a few seconds before feeling woozy again. She was about to fall again when Nathan caught her. "Whoa, here put your hand around my waist," he said. She did as she was told and managed to stand still.

They walked out together, their hands around each other's waist. "Hey, are you okay?" Peyton said worriedly. She couldn't help but feel guilty over the whole thing. It was her snooping around that got Haley in the hospital.

"Yeah, thanks," Haley said without meeting her eyes. "Can we just go home, please?" she asked quietly.

"Absolutely, I'll take her home," Nathan said to the rest. He didn't wait for their answer and led Haley to his car.

Lucas then turned to Brooke and Peyton. He folded his arms on chest and asked, "so you do you want to tell me what that was about?"

"Not really," Brooke said. She hated keeping secrets from Lucas but she didn't think Haley would want anybody to know.

"Okay, if you say so," Lucas said, knowing better than force it out of her. He knew that Brooke or Peyton would tell him when they were ready.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathan asked as he helped Haley into her house. She had been quiet all the way home and he let her.

"I'm fine. Thank you for taking me home," she said gratefully. "I'm sorry about dinner."

He lifted her chin so she would look at him. "Hey, don't be sorry. I'm just glad you're okay. Do you want anything. I can make you dinner if you want."

She looked away. The last thing she wanted right now was Nathan lingering in her house when she needed to clear her head. "No, I'm fine. I think I'll just lie down. Thank you again Nathan. I'll see you in school tomorrow." She gave him a tiny smile. "You should go."

He looked torn for a minute. "No, it's okay. I can stay." He could see that she was about to protest. "At least let me stay until I'm sure you're okay."

She saw that he wasn't about to be convinced otherwise and relented. "Okay. Why don't you order some pizza while I freshen up." She then went to her room and closed her door and leaned against it, her heart beating wildly in her chest. _Oh God Brooke and Peyton know. _She closed her eyes and tried to block the memories of the few months earlier out of her head and felt a threatening tear in her eyes. She opened her eyes when she heard Nathan's voice.

"Haley, you alright in there?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." She went to the bathroom and took her time. She splashed water on her face and leaned against the sink before looking at herself in the mirror. For a minute she almost didn't recognize her reflection. With a sigh she patted her face dry before coming out. "Did you order pizza?" she asked before joining Nathan on the couch.

"Yeah, I did. Should be here in a few minutes." True to his words, the pizza came a few minutes later.

Half an hour later, Nathan switched off the telly and looked down at girl lying down with her head on his lap. She had fallen asleep while they were watching the telly and he didn't want to disturb her. He gently caressed her cheek and tucked a stray hair behind her ear before leaning down to kiss her cheek. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, unlike the overwrought Haley he had seen earlier. He then gently lifted her head from her lap before getting up and lifted her slowly in his arms before carrying her to her bedroom, all the while wondering what had happened to make her collapse earlier.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, sorry I disappeared on you guys. But I'm back with a new chapter. Hope you'll like it. Thanks for your patience and your wonderful reviews, and for those who have added this story to their favourites, I really really appreciate it. You guys really rock!**

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Chapter 10

Haley woke up with a start to the sound of the alarm clock blaring in her ears, and opened her eyes groggily. She looked down and saw that she was in her pajamas, and for a minute wondered how that happened. Memories of the previous night came flooding back, and the last thing she remembered was watching the telly and eating pizzas with Nathan. Nathan. She had a slight panic attack when she realized that it must have been him who had dressed her in her pajamas and put her to bed. She looked around and noticed that there was a note on her pillow. She gingerly picked it up and read, _'Good morning. I didn't want to wake you last night so I hope you don't mind I put on your pj's for you. Nothing happened, I promise. There's coffee in the kitchen. I'll see you later Hales. Nathan.'_

She sank back in her pillows and closed her eyes and saw Brooke and Peyton in her head. The realization that they knew about her past gave her a feeling of dread. A tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered that night a year ago.

_Flashback_

_She was sitting at the back of the ambulance with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders giving her some warmth in the cool night. She could see flashes of red and blue lights from the police car and a police officer approaching._

_"Mrs. Walker?" she could hear him say referring to Steve's last name which she had adopted. She lifted her head, revealing a tear stained face.__ "I'm sorry, they did all they could, but the paramedics couldn't save your husband," he had said, and all she could was just stare blankly at him._

_End of flashback_

Mrs. Walker. She hadn't used that name since Steve died. She quickly wiped the tears away and got up. Thankfully it was a Saturday so she didn't have to go to school. She knew she had to see Brooke and Peyton sooner or later to explain the newspaper article, but for the moment she was grateful for the silence the empty house offered. Half an hour later she felt better after her shower. She was sipping the coffee that Nathan had brewed for her when he walked in her kitchen.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Hi, yeah I am. What are you doing here?" she asked and took out a mug for him before pouring the dark liquid into it.

He smiled. "Just checking in on you."

She bent her head down. "Nathan, you've done so much for me and I don't know if I can thank you enough. But can I ask you something? I woke up in my pj's this morning and I saw your note. Did nothing really happen last night?"

He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Haley, I swear nothing happened. I just figured you'd be more comfortable sleeping in your pj's than in your jeans. Besides I have much more respect for you than you give me credit for."

"Thank you," she said softly. "For everything."

He touched her cheek comfortingly. "You're welcome. Now you want to tell me what happened last night? Collapsing just to get out of a date with me?" he said jokingly.

She managed a smile. "I don't know what happened," she said evasively. "One minute I was talking to Brooke and Peyton, and the next minute I was at the hospital." He looked at her sceptically, as if he wasn't entirely sure that that was all there was to it. "Hey, do you mind if I go over to Brooke's house for a minute? I need to thank her for last night," she said.

"Yeah, sure. I need to go to the Community Centre anyway. Practice starts in half an hour."

She slapped her head as she suddenly remembered that she had some tutoring to do that morning. "Oh shit! I forgot about that. Can I meet you there? I promise I'll be quick."

"Hey, you don't have to go if you don't feel up to it. I'm sure the kids will understanding."

"Nathan, stop babying me. I'm fine. I'll meet you there."

He looked at her, his eyes full of concern. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she said firmly. "I'd better go next door. Could you lock the door for me? Thanks." And before he could protest, she was already gone.

"Brooke?" Haley poked her head in her neighbour's door a couple of minutes later. She had seen Peyton's car outside, which made the task that she had set herself to do that much easier.

Brooke turned her head at the sound of her voice, relief evident in her face when she saw that Haley was alright. "Hey Tutorgirl, do you feel better? Come on in."

Haley did as she was told and was immediately greeted by a waft of incredible smell coming from the kitchen. "Wow, I see that you have the whole Martha Stewart thing going on in here."

Brooke just shrugged. "Yeah, well. Since you taught how to make pancakes, I've been trying out several other recipes. Who knew I could kick ass in the kitchen! So how about you grab a chair, and I'll make you some eggs and toast."

Haley put up a hand in protest. "Oh no Brooke. Thanks for the offer but Nathan's expecting me at the community centre. Actually I came here to talk to you and Peyton about yesterday. I saw her car outside so I figured that she must be here."

"Oh." Brooke grew serious at the mention of yesterday. "Yeah, she is. She's with Lucas talking about Led Zeppelin. Don't ask me why," she said smirking. "Peyton! Haley's here!" she yelled.

A few seconds later Peyton appeared sporting a guilty look on her face, followed by Lucas behind her. "Hey Haley," she said in greeting. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for taking me to the hospital."

"I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to put my nose where it obviously doesn't belong," she said apologetically. Clearly she blamed herself for what happened to Haley last night.

Lucas looked at the girls in confusion. "Wait a minute, why is Peyton apologizing for last night? What actually happened?"

To be honest, having Lucas in on the conversation was not an ideal situation for Haley, but she felt she owed it to Peyton and Brooke to explain what happened. She took in a deep breath before facing the three of them. "Peyton, you were right. I lied about how Steve died. He didn't die in a car accident. But I guess you knew that already since you already saw the newspaper article."

"What newspaper article?" Lucas asked. Peyton immediately fished it out from her jeans pocket and gave it to him.

"Wait, you've been carrying that with you the whole time?" Brooke asked, which Peyton answered with a mere shrug.

"Yeah, well. I didn't want to just leave it lying around." Lucas turned his back on them as he concentrated on reading the article. When he had finished he turned around and looked at Haley with shock.

"Oh my God, Haley. I had no idea."

Haley smirked bitterly. "Yeah, it's not something I'd want the whole world to know. And you have to understand, I did it out of desperation. I had no other choice. And you can't tell Nathan about this. I would like to tell him myself." They nodded their head in agreement.

"So, you want to tell us about it?" Lucas asked slowly. Haley looked at them and sighed. There was no turning back now. With as deep a breath as her lung could take, she started to tell them what happened that fateful night a year ago.

When she had finished, a momentary silence ensued. Lucas looked at the girls, at a loss for words. Peyton was the first to break the silence. She went over to Haley and enveloped her in a bear hug before saying, "I'm so sorry Haley. But you should know that Steve's death wasn't your fault."

Haley returned the hug and said quietly, "yeah, that's what I've been telling myself all this time."

"Well, now we're here to tell you again," Lucas said. He felt his blood boil in his veins after hearing her story. How could such a nice girl like Haley have such a horrible past?

"Thanks guys," she said and got up. "I'd better meet Nathan. He'll be wondering where I am. And I would really appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Nathan."

Brooke raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why not?" she asked.

"Because I'd like him to know from me, and I'm not ready to tell him yet."

"But you told us," Peyton said.

"I know," Haley said exasperatedly. "But Nathan-" she let the words trailed off.

Lucas looked at her intently. "Is there something going on between you and Nathan?" It was Brooke and Peyton's turn to look at Haley with interest.

Haley felt her cheeks grow hot and knew that her friends would be seeing the tell tale blush on her face. "No, there's nothing going on between us."

"Not yet," a grinning Peyton muttered under her breath.

Haley heard it although she pretended not to. "It's just that Nathan has been really good to me and I just don't want to scare him off."

Brooke who had been watching the exchange quietly decided to jump in. "Guys, she says she's not ready to tell him. Plus, this is her decision to make so lay off her." Haley looked at her gratefully which she responded with a wink.

"Ok I really should go. Thank you so much for understanding." Haley started to make a beeline for the door. She turned around at the sound of Lucas's voice.

"Hey Hales. We meant what we said. We're all here for you. Nathan included." Haley nodded and gave him a small smile before closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Ms. James!" a voice called out to her as soon as she entered the community centre. She smiled at the boy behind the voice.

"Hey Jackson, are you playing today?" she asked as her eyes darted around the centre. Her eyes quickly caught Nathan's and she smiled.

"Yeah, I am but I was kinda waiting for you. I'm having a bit of trouble with my arithmetic."

She took off her jacket and sat down at the bleachers. "Ok, why don't we talk about that after your practice session over there," she said, pointing her finger at a waiting Nathan.

"Awesome! Thanks Ms. James." She turned her attention at the group of waiting students. Every once in a while she would look up and could see Nathan watching her. Lucas's question about her and Nathan still rang in her ears. She couldn't deny the instant attraction between them, but maybe that was all there was to it. Just a mere attraction, but maybe she owed it to herself to find out for sure. She realised that she couldn't live her life alone forever, but everything was happening so fast between them it was making her head spin. With a sigh, she stored her thoughts on Nathan at the back of her mind and tried to concentrate.

A few hours later, a tired looking Nathan made his way to her as she said her goodbye to the last of her students. He took off his shirt and for a minute Haley couldn't take her eyes off his perfectly chiseled body glistening with sweat. Nathan seemed oblivious to her stare and bent down to pick up a bottle of water from where she was sitting.

"So what were you doing at Brooke's for so long?" he asked as he drank the cold liquid greedily.

Haley snapped out of her stare and blushed furiously. "Oh nothing, I was just thanking her for taking me to the hospital last night." He looked like he was about to ask further but decided against it.

"Okay. So what are your plans today?" he said, hoping he could weasel his way into her plans for the day.

She shrugged and picked up her bag. "Nothing actually. I fully intend to be lazy for the rest of the day."

"Too lazy to go out for dinner with me?" he asked suggestively. When she didn't answer, he continued. "Come on Hales. What do you say? Pick you up at 7?"

After a moment's hesitation, she smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said shyly.

"Great!" Nathan said as he beamed widely. They walked companionably towards the shower room before she halted as she prepared to wait for him to clean up. She could already feel the flutter in her stomach as she thought about tonight. She leaned against the wall and folded her arms. To be honest, she was pretty excited at the prospect of a date with Nathan, but at the same time her excitement was mixed with trepidation. She was lost in her thoughts and didn't realize that Nathan was standing next to her, looking at her with interest.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said softly. She quickly straightened up and laughed nervously. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing, well actually I was thinking about tonight," she said truthfully.

"Nervous?" he asked knowingly.

"Yeah, a little bit," she admitted.

"So am I," he said, surprising her.

"You are? Why?" she asked.

He looked into her eyes. "Because it's you. Haley, I like you. A lot," he started to say, careful not to tell her what he was really feeling. "It's just the way you make me feel. I haven't felt like this in a long time, not since Rachel." He watched her bow her head just to avoid his gaze. He gently lifted her chin so she would look at him. "Haley, it's okay to be afraid. And it's okay to feel the pain of the past."

"I know," she said softly. They continued to stare at each other before Nathan slowly bent his head to capture her lips, letting his lips graze hers as if taunting her. He thought he heard a soft sigh coming from her and cupped her face in his hand. His heart was beating furiously as he felt her respond. He felt himself grow bolder and flicked her tongue against her soft lips, trying to pry them apart and when she did, he let out a low groan as his tongue darted into her mouth, seeking hers, tasting her. Their kiss deepened and Haley felt as if she was falling in a bottomless well with no hope of ever resurfacing. Their breath grew ragged as he pulled away and caressed her face.

"I think we should stop," he breathed against her mouth. He had to fight the urge to continue kissing her, knowing that if they didn't stop he would be tempted to take a step further and he didn't want to scare her. She nodded in agreement although she felt a sense of loss the moment they stopped.

"Come on, we should go," he said and took her hand firmly in his and led her to their cars. When they reached hers, she unclasped her hand from his to look for her key in her bag. She found it and returned her attention to him.

"So, um I'll see you tonight then," she said.

"Yeah, tonight," he said. "Is it alright if I do this again?" he asked and kissed her again softly.

"What's the point of asking when you won't even wait for the answer?" she murmured against his lips.

"Coz I already know what you're gonna say," he said mischievously. "I'm gonna miss you."

She was surprised at the admission, and was even more surprised when she realised that it mirrored her own. She smiled without saying anything and opened the door to get in. "Bye Nathan," she said before driving away.

Nathan watched the car pull away until it was nothing more than a dot before walking to his own car. He felt lightheaded at the prospect of their date tonight. This time he would make damn sure that nothing would be in the way.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! Here's the latest chappy for this story. I'm really sorry for stringing you guys along but I can promise that you're gonna know Haley's secret soon. I know you guys are looking forward to the Naley date, so here it is. Let me know what you guys think and thanks for the reviews. Keep em coming ;) Cheers!**

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Chapter 11

Nathan stood outside her door with a bunch of lilies in his hands. He took a deep breath and counted to ten before ringing the doorbell. He waited nervously, his anxiety getting the better of him when there was no answer. The first thought that came to his mind was that Haley had bailed out of their date. He rang it again and tapped his feet impatiently. Finally the door creaked open. He was hoping to see Haley all ready for their date when Brooke poked her head through the door. She raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"Wow, you're on time. For once. And you look spiffy, it's weird," Brooke said as she gave her brother-in-law the once over. It wasn't often that Nathan dressed himself up in a shirt and tie. He was more of a polo t-shirt and shorts kind of guy.

"Brooke!" Nathan hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. "Why is it that everytime I plan to take Haley out on a date, there you are?"

"Hey Brooke, is loverboy here yet?" Peyton yelled. "I thought I heard the door bell ring."

Nathan slapped his forehead. "Sawyer's here too? Great. Is Jake here too? And Lucas?"

Brooke grabbed his tie and dragged him in. "Sorry to disappoint you Nate. It's just me and Peyton. Come on in, she's almost ready."

Nathan slapped her hand away and straightened his tie. "Stop that! It took a long time for me to get this damn tie right, and you're ruining it." It was Peyton's turn to inspect him.

"Huh, funny. All that time wasted. The tie looks horrible. Here, let me give you a hand," Peyton said before Nathan could even muster a reply. "How are you feeling?" Peyton asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, I'm quite nervous," he huffed angrily at the intrusion. "What the hell are you two doing here anyway?"

Peyton pulled the tie in a neat knot and smoothed it down and after having satisfied herself that it looked just right, pushed him away. "We found out that you guys are going out on a date, so me and Brooke decided to help Haley get ready."

"Why am I not surprised?" Nathan muttered.

"Trust me, you're gonna like it. Oooohhh lilies. Nice work Nate. Hey, how come you never gave me flowers when we were dating?" Peyton said.

"Sorry, I couldn't find black roses anywhere," Nathan said sarcastically, referring to Peyton's inclination towards all things dark and moody when they were in high school.

"Where are you guys going tonight?" Brooke asked and sat down, amused at seeing an obviously nervous Nathan.

"Yeah, like hell I'm gonna tell you. Will you two leave already? Oh God, I think I'm getting a headache." He sank himself on the couch and rubbed his temple, the bunch of lilies still clutched in his hand.

Peyton couldn't help but laugh at him. She was starting to enjoy torturing him. "Calm down will you?" she said and sat next to him, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "It's about time you and Haley go out on a date. It took you long enough. So you really like her, huh?"

Nathan smiled for the first time that night. Maybe it was the relationship they had in school, but he could always talk freely with Peyton. "Yeah, I do. I know I don't know her well enough, but she's different."

Peyton nodded in agreement. "Yeah she is." She looked around and noticed that Brooke had disappeared, probably to help Haley. "She's been through a lot and I think that it's taken her a lot of courage to go out with you tonight." She turned to face Nathan. "Nate, I've known since forever and you're a wonderful guy. Just handle her with care okay? She's pretty fragile."

Nathan looked at her curiously and was about to ask her what she meant when he heard the voice he had been wanting to hear all night.

"Hi, sorry I'm late. I didn't know that you were gonna be so punctual," Haley said shyly. She still wasn't sure about the dress that Brooke had given her. She thought that it would be too much for a first date.

Nathan stood speechless as if rooted to the ground as he looked at her. Beautiful could not even begin to describe her. He felt a nudge on his waist and turned to see Peyton grinning. "Say something, you idiot," she said in a low voice.

"You look beautiful," he managed to croak. He went up to her and gave her the lilies, which she took with a smile.

"Thank you. I love lilies. I'll just put this in water and then we can go," she said and started to find something to put the flowers in as Nathan continued to watch her.

Brooke swooped in and took the lilies from Haley's hand. "Let me take care of that. You guys go already." She couldn't help being happy for the two of them. She just hoped that tonight would be perfect for them both. God knows they both deserved it.

Haley looked at her and Peyton gratefully. "Thanks guys." She then turned to Nathan. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah," Nathan said. For a moment he forgot that Brooke and Peyton were there. He took the shawl that Peyton was holding and draped it over Haley's shoulders, feeling his fingers tingle as they made contact with her smooth skin.

They made their way to the door and was about to get out when Peyton yelled. "You're welcome Nate! And have her back by twelve! Have fun kids!"

Nathan turned and glared at her, which only resulted in Brooke and Peyton giggling uncontrollably.

"I'm really sorry," Haley said, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment. "They insisted on coming over. I was no match for the terrible twos." Nathan took her hand in his and led her to his car.

"It's alright. I've known them since we were kids. I know what they're like." He opened the door and she climbed in, thinking it had been a long time since she was treated like this.

He turned on the engine and was about to drive when he heard her say, "you look nice."

He smiled although his heart was beating uncontrollably in his chest. "Thanks."

"Where are we going?" she asked as he started to drive away.

He gave her a mysterious smile and winked. "It's a surprise, but I promise it's no hot dog stand this time," he said, referring to their night at the dock before keeping his eyes on the road.

It turned out that his surprise was an Italian restaurant, not very far from the dock. She had seen it before but had never been brave enough to step in the doors, thinking that it looked to posh and expensive for her. For once she was glad that she had put on Brooke's dress. The waiter took them to their table, which Nathan had reserved earlier. From the moment they stepped out of the car, their hands were linked together and much to Nathan's delight, she didn't protest.

"Nathan, you shouldn't have done this. This is too much," she said as soon as they were seated.

He frowned, thinking that she preferred to go somewhere else. "Don't you like it?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "No, I love it. Thank you so much. It's just that I'm not really used to all this."

Nathan grinned at her. "Well, you'd better get used to it," he said.

The waiter handed them their menu and Haley swore she felt her head spin looking at the selection of food, not to mention the prices. Nathan could see that she was struggling to decide.

"I've always liked the Steak Gorgonzola-Alfredo," he said helpfully.

She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Okay, I think I'll have that."

Nathan smiled and turned to the waiter. "And I'll have the Steak Toscano and a bottle of Cabernet," he said and returned the menu to the waiter.

"Excellent choice," the waiter said and left.

"So, do you come here often?" Haley asked and looked around. She truly felt like a fish out of water here.

Nathan notice her uneasiness. "No, not really. Only on special occasions. To be honest, this is not really my scene. Give me a hot dog cart and a bottle of beer anytime and I'm happy," he said grinning.

She felt her uneasiness ebb away. They stared at each other, both thinking of things to say. This was new territory for the both of them. their previous flirtations had always been casual but this was different.

"You really look beautiful Haley," Nathan said softly. At times he felt that she didn't even realize how incredible she looked, and how the sight of her could make his heart flutter. Her crimson blush had turned bright red at this time as she took in his compliment. They made small talks while waiting for their food. Nathan was glad that Haley seemed to enjoy her food. Rachel was always picky about her food and was obsessed with her figure which used to drive him crazy.

"How's the food?" Nathan asked as he took a bite of his.

"It's really good," she said and she meant it.

He cut a small piece of his steak and reached across the table for her. "Here, try this. I think you'll like it." Haley looked at him, unsure of the intimacy of the moment. He noticed her hesitation and said, "go on, it won't bite." She leaned forward and took a bite as he fed her. Many times that night she felt like getting up and leave. She still feared the things that he made her feel. She feared that if it went far enough, there was no way she could turn back.

Thankfully, the dinner was finally over and they got up to leave. She welcome the breeze that greeted her the moment she stepped out of the restaurant. She pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders, shivering at the cold.

"Cold?" he asked as they were walking.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for the dinner. It was lovely," she said and they walked silently.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was lovely. So lovely that you looked like you were about to bolt out of the place half of the time," he pointed out. "You didn't like it?"

"I did. I promise. It's just that I'm not used to all this," she explained.

Nathan looked at her, her face beautifully illuminated by the moonlight. "Not used to fancy restaurants, or not used to being treated like this," he said, trying to pick her brain.

She was surprised at the question. She was thinking of the ways to answer him when she heard the squeals of children's laughter nearby. "Did you hear that?" she asked him. "I wonder what' going on at the dock. Seems like there's a carnival or something."

He turned to her and smiled, the question now forgotten. "Do you wanna check it out?" he asked.

"In this?" she asked, referring to her dress. "I don't think so," she said with a laugh.

He took her hand and pulled her along. "Oh come on. It'll be fun." True enough, there was a carnival at the dock. She couldn't believe she didn't notice it before. Nathan stole a glance at her and saw her face radiant with a childlike glee.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back," he said with a smile.

"Where are you going?" she asked but he just left her standing among the sea of strangers. A few minutes later, he returned with cotton candy in his hand.

He handed it to her and said, "we didn't have dessert back at the restaurant. I know this is a poor substitute-"

"It's perfect," she said, cutting him off. They shared the cotton candy and walked around the grounds, enjoying the atmosphere. "How are you at those throwing rings kinda things?" she said indicating the sidestalls.

"You mean the hoopla?" he said. "I rock at those. Come on, what do you want? A giant panda? A huge teddy bear? Just name it, and I'll get it for you," he said confidently.

"Cocky much?" she asked with raised eyebrows as they walked towards the stall.

"Watch and learn," he said and paid the attendant before taking the hoops. He threw one hoop lazily and when it didn't hit its mark, he could hear Haley squealing with laughter in the background. He tried not to pay attention to it and threw another one with the same result. He was starting to get annoyed when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Mind if I try?" Haley asked, smiling. She handed him the cotton candy she was holding and took the last hoop from his hand before he could protest.

"Those damn poles are crooked," he muttered angrily.

Haley raised an eyebrow and said, "yeah, I'm sure they are." She then took of her heels and hiked up her skirt before taking her position. She aimed carefully and bit her lip in concentration before throwing the hoop, which landed perfectly around the pole. She jumped happily and laughed as she took in Nathan's reaction, his mouth in a perfect "O" as he saw her make the perfect shot.

"So, which one do you want? A giant panda? A huge teddy bear?" she asked, mimicking his earlier questions.

He still looked at her in surprise. "How did you do that?" he spluttered as he watched her pick a small basketball from the attendant as the prize.

"I used to go to carnivals a lot when I was a kid." She gave the basketball to him and grinned, "here, this is for you. Don't say I never gave you anything," she said mischievously as she slipped her heels back on. He loved watching her like this, her face glowing with happiness. Something she didn't show very often.

"You look different," he said, voicing his thoughts aloud.

She picked at their half eaten cotton candy and licked her fingers. "Oh yeah?"

He stopped in his track and took her hand. "Happy," he stated simply. She kept quiet at the statement. "Hey, you've got sugar on your face," he said and gently touched her cheek. She thought that he would just wipe it away and was surprised when he kissed the spot, his tongue gently licking the sugary remains of the candy. She could feel his breath on his face and felt her own breath stuck in her throat. He lifted his face and they looked at each other. She knew instinctively what was going to happen next, her heart torn between letting it happen or to step away. She didn't have time to think when she felt his lips on hers, kissing her tenderly. She felt him nibble her lower lip, probing it gently. As if on autopilot, she parted her lips making him moan in appreciation. She moaned helplessly against his lips and felt him smile against hers. He didn't care that they were in the middle of a carnival. All he cared about was that he had her in his arms. His other arm dropped lower on her body, pulling her more firmly against him as he deepened the kiss, finally allowing their tongues to meet.

"God Haley, you drive me crazy you know that," his voice came in a hoarse whisper against her lips. She shuddered at his touch and felt heat radiating through her body. He pulled away slowly. "You are so unbelievably beautiful," he whispered, the tone of his voice sending yet another tremor up her spine.

"I think we have an audience," Haley said as she pulled away and looked around at the snickering people walking by them. "We should go," she said quietly, her lips felt bruised and burning from their kiss.

They walked hand in hand along the docks and watched the boats bobbing up and down in the water. Nathan threw his basketball up in the air and caught it lazily. He felt more relaxed than he had been in a long time. He looked over at Haley who was leaning over the railings and noticed that she had been quiet for a while.

"Hey, where's your head at?" he asked softly and propped his arm on the railing to face her.

"Everywhere," she answered.

He brushed away some strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ears. "Oh yeah? Name a place," he said.

She continued to stare at the water and felt a calmness wash over her. "I was thinking of the last time I was happy," she said. Nathan immediately frowned. His first thought was that she was thinking about her time with Steve, and he immediately felt a pang of jealousy. "It was when I found out that I was pregnant," she said surprising him.

"You were what?" he stammered. The thought of her making love to Steve was enough to drive him crazy and now she was telling him that she was once pregnant with Steve's child.

"I got pregnant a few months after me and Steve were married," she said, smiling at the memory. She remembered vividly the day she found out she was pregnant, the joy she felt which had surpassed all her sadness at that moment. She looked at him and saw the shock on his face and knew what he was thinking. "I lost it when I was two months along," she said, answering the question that was buzzing in his head.

"Oh Haley, I'm so sorry," he said, meaning every word.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. At least I knew what it felt like to be truly happy, even if it was only for a while," she said as her hand instinctively fell to her stomach, as she remembered the first stirring of another life inside of her.

"What about Steve? Were you not happy with him?" he asked.

She moved away from the railing and turned her back on him. "I was in the beginning," she said evasively. She felt his hand on her arm as he turned her around to face him.

"Talk to me Hales," he said. He immediately knew that this was why she was afraid of letting anybody in her heart. "You can trust me," he said.

"Can I?" she asked and he saw the fear returning in her eyes. "Coz the last person I trusted hurt me, more than you know."

He took both her arms and held her at arm's length. He looked into her eyes, searching for answers but all he could see was sadness. "Haley, what are you talking about? Peyton mentioned something about you being fragile. What did she mean?" he asked.

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**A/N: Sorry to leave this hanging guys ;)  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello fellas! Sorry for the long absence. I've been busy lately as some of you may know but I'm back now and I know you guys are dying to know what happened to Haley so I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Let me know if I delivered because like always I appreciate your feedback, good or bad. Cheers guys! :)**

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Chapter 12

"Haley, what are you talking about? Peyton mentioned something about you being fragile. What did she mean?" Nathan asked. They were at the docks after their date when she started opening up about her past. For a moment, she looked like she was about to say something, and then she held back. "Hales, talk to me," he urged her and tilted her chin so that she was looking at him in the eyes.

"I think we should go," she said quietly as she looked down at her feet.

"No, not unless you talk to me," he said stubbornly.

"Nathan, please don't do this," she pleaded.

He took her face in her hands and kissed her lips slowly. "Haley, I won't hurt you. I promise," he said softly. Seeing that she wasn't about to budge, he decided on another tactic. "Okay, I'll take you home if that's what you want. But Haley, you're gonna have to tell me one day. Whatever it is that happened in the past has got nothing to do with the present." He took in a deep breath. "I love you," he said solemnly.

She looked at him in surprise. "What did you say?" she stammered.

He caressed her face gently and smiled. "I said I love you Haley James. I don't know how you did it, but you did. You made me fall in love with you when I thought I could never feel that way about somebody ever again." He saw the hesitation in her eyes. "I'm not expecting you to tell me that you feel the same way about me. I just want you to know that that's what I feel. So there it is. I love you," he repeated.

She looked away and focused on a dot in the horizon. She knew that this moment would come and she would be lying to herself if she told him that she didn't feel the same.

"It's too soon," she said softly, almost to herself. "We should go. It's getting late," she told him.

He finally relented and took her hand in his and led her to the car, his shoulders drooping defeatedly. The ride home was quiet to say the least. Haley's mind was still racing with Nathan's declaration. She wanted so much to tell him that she felt the same way but her fear held her back. She looked out the window and felt the wind blowing her hair, wishing that it could blow her past away.

He stole a glance at her and saw the sadness etched on her face. He didn't know what got into him when he blurted out his feelings for her, but keeping it inside was almost eating him alive. He wished that he could break her wall and make her open up to him. He had no clue as to what happened in her past and he had no idea what she was thinking at that moment. All he knew was that this girl had taken his breath and his heart away.

After what seemed like an eternity they finally pulled up on her driveway. She was surprised to see that her lights were still on. She could hear Nathan following her close behind, his footsteps were both a calming presence and a source of fear. She unlocked her door and was about to turn the knob when she felt Nathan's hand on hers. She turned and looked at him and what she saw in his eyes caught her breath. She didn't see lust, she didn't see hunger. She only saw love and felt her heart constrict.

Just then the door opened and a chirpy Brooke said, "you guys are back? And it's not yet midnight. Nathan, did you scare her off?" She then saw their faces and her face fell. "Well, I guess me and Peyton should go. We were just too lazy to get out and decided to wait here till you get back," she said guiltily.

Nathan knew why Brooke and Peyton were still there. He knew them long enough to figure out that they wanted Haley to spill all the details about their date. _Well, looks like they're gonna have plenty to talk about now,_ he thought grimly.

"Peyton! They're back!" Brooke yelled and a few seconds later was joined by the curly haired girl.

"So how was your date?" Peyton asked. She felt Brooke nudge her and gave her a questioning look, but the look Brooke gave her made her quiet. "Oh, okay. We should go. We'll see you tomorrow Haley," she said and gave her a hug. She felt her walk past her silently and she looked at Nathan. "What happened Nate?" she asked

Nathan just shrugged. "I wish I knew," he said.

Peyton put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Just be patient," she said knowingly before leaving with Brooke.

He walked in her house and was relieved when he didn't hear her protest. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively. He saw that she was nervous and walked up to her. "Haley-"

"Steve and I got married after college," she started to say. He looked taken aback and she knew that there was no turning back. "Nathan, you wanted to know about my past, so I'm telling you now," she said.

"Okay," he said and pulled her to the couch. "Haley, it's okay. You can tell me," he assured her as he took her hands in his.

She looked at him, his eyes filled with concern. "Steve was the only guy I've ever been with. We started dating in high school and he made me feel special. He was the most popular guy in school and yet he went out with a girl nobody knew. We were happy so after we graduated, we decided that the next obvious step was to get married so we did." She paused and swallowed as she felt a lump rise in her throat.

"After we got married, he got a job at a construction company and started to be friends with this guy from work, Joe. They hung out a lot and at first I didn't mind. I was busy teaching at a school nearby but after a few weeks I began to notice a change in him. He started to drink and he and Joe would go to bars until late at night and he would always come home drunk." Nathan kept quiet as she continued with her story. He couldn't imagine yet what could be so terrible about her past.

"One night after another drunken outing with Joe, I told him that I didn't like him to go out with Joe anymore, that he had become a changed man. And then he got angry and started yelling.

_Flashback_

_She listened as he staggered in the front door, his breath reeking with alcohol. She felt anger rising within her. She thought that this was going on long enough and it had to stop._

_"Steve, you should really stop drinking," she said and was answered by a stony silence. "Steve, are you listening to me?" she asked, her voice slightly rising._

_"Lower your voice Haley," he slurred. "And stop being such a nagging bitch," he said, shocking her with his choice of words._

_"What did you just call me?" she asked in disbelief._

_He came closer to her and she had to hold her breath. "Are you deaf? I said stop being a nagging bitch, bitch," he said and smirked. Noticing her shock he grinned. "Cat's suddenly got your tongue?"_

_"Steve, what happened to you?" she asked._

_"Shut up!" he yelled and pushed her against the wall, making her scream in pain. "I said shut up!" he yelled again before slapping her face. Her hand flew to her sore cheek and tears started to fall. He had never raised her voice with her, let alone hitting her._

_"Let me go," she said through gritted teeth. He grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her so that she wouldn't be able to move. A second later, another strike flew to her face. "Stop it!" she screamed. "Steve, you're hurting me!"_

_He finally let her go and she crumpled to the floor. She sobbed as she looked at her husband, only to see a stranger she didn't know._

_End of flashback_

"He hit you?" Nathan asked angrily. Haley nodded silently as tears started to fall. "That bastard!" he exclaimed angrily. "Haley, how long was he doing that?" he asked gently, seeing that she was really shaken.

"It went on until he died," she sobbed.

"Why didn't you leave?" he asked her.

"I wanted to but I thought he could change. I thought that he could be the man I fell in love with again, but he didn't change. It only got worse," she stuttered through her tears.

"What happened Hales?" he asked and wiped the tears that were free flowing on her cheeks.

"He forced me to go out with him and Joe a couple of times, and I was afraid that he would get mad if I didn't agree so I did. The first time I met Joe was when he took me to this bar. We had only been there for a few minutes and already they had started to drink. I tried to put on a brave face but I wanted to leave so much."

_Flashback_

_"Joe, this is my girl Haley," Steve said by way of introduction._

_Joe grabbed her hand and shook it firmly, all the time giving her a leer. It felt like he was undressing her with her eyes. She wanted to run but Steve had pulled her to a stool. A few minutes later Steve had to go to the bathroom, leaving her with Joe. She was feeling more and more uncomfortable but decided to give Joe the benefit of the doubt and tried to make conversation with him._

_"So, how long have you been working at the company Joe?" she asked politely._

_Joe smirked. "Come on Haley. You don't really want to know about those boring stuff, do you?" He licked his lips and looked at her hungrily. He touched her face, making her flinch. "You're a beautiful girl. I bet you're good in bed too." He laughed when she pushed his hand away. "Oh yeah, Steve told me all about how beneath that innocent exterior, you're like a slut in bed. How about you show me how good you really are sometime?"_

_"Don't touch me," she said fearfully. Thankfully Steve returned and put his arm around Joe's shoulder._

_"So, did you get to know my wife?" he asked._

_"A little bit, but I'd like to know more," he said by way of promise, making her shudder in fear and repulsion. The whole night felt like torture to her and she was glad when Steve said they wanted to go home. They sat silently in the car as she drove, knowing full well that Steve was in no condition to drive. As soon as they got home, he grabbed her and started hitting her._

_"You bitch! I saw how you were looking at Joe. Do you want to sleep with him now?" he yelled angrily. She screamed in pain. She tried to fight back but he was too strong for her. "Do you? Answer me bitch!" he yelled._

_She shook her head fearfully and she tasted blood on her lips. She tried to wriggle free from his grasp and finally she managed to escape. She ran up the stairs as she tried to get away from him but he was too fast for her. He caught up with her on the stairs and pulled her hair angrily._

_"Steve stop please," she begged. But he was relentless. He pushed her against the wall and started hitting her angrily. She teetered dangerously on the stairs and lost her balance. The next thing she knew she was at the hospital._

_End of flashback_

"That was when I lost my baby. I didn't even tell him I was pregnant. He only found out when the doctor told him that I had miscarried." She hugged her knees and sobbed. "I hated him so much. I told him that I was leaving him but he begged me to stay. He told me that he was sorry and that he would change."

"And you believed him?" Nathan asked. "Why didn't you tell your parents, or his parents?"

"He was my husband Nathan. I couldn't tell anybody. I was too embarrassed. My parents had such a happy marriage that I didn't want to look like a failure to them. They died without ever knowing what happened. Besides his parents thought the world of him and wouldn't believe me anyway if I told them. And I really thought that he meant what he said, that he would change."

"Did he?" Nathan asked, although he already knew the answer. Haley shook her head which confirmed his suspicion.

"He did for a few weeks and then he started going out with Joe again. Every night I would be in fear for when he would come home because I knew what would happen. And then one night-" she let her words trail off as she remembered what happened.

"Hey, it's okay. You can tell me," he said soothingly. He had to calm himself from the anger that had been building up inside of him since the moment she told him what happened.

She felt encouraged by his words and continued. "One night, he came home drunk. I was in the kitchen cleaning up and he just grabbed me from behind," she said through her tears.

_Flashback_

_"Hey Hales. Did you miss me?" he whispered against her neck. "You do, don't you?" he asked leeringly. He turned her around and she faced him, fear written all over her face._

_"Steve, don't. You have to stop this. This isn't you," she pleaded. "What happened to you?" _

_He laughed menacingly. "What happened to me? You happened to me. Don't you think I don't know how disappointed you were when the only job I could find was in a construction company, building houses for filthy rich people. I see it in your eyes Haley. I know that holier-than-thou look. You think that you're so good getting a teaching job. You think you're so smart," he said._

_"Steve, I never thought that about you," she said trying to calm him down, meaning every word. _

_"Liar!" he screamed. He grabbed her shoulders and started to rip her clothes. She tried to fend him off but it didn't work._

_"Steve stop it! What are you doing!"_

_"I want you Hales. I have to have you now."_

_She suddenly realized that she was about to be raped by her own husband and fear gripped her. She continued to scream and he covered her mouth to muffle the sound. By this time he had managed to rip her clothes, leaving her only with her bra. She grappled for something behind her to make him stop and found herself gripping a knife. Without thinking she lunged at him, burying the knife deep within him. She heard her scream in pain and her body went still as she felt him slump against her. A moment later, she felt him grow heavy as he fell to the floor. She looked at her hands covered in blood and screamed and screamed._

_"Steve! Oh God what did I do? Help!" she yelled and scrambled to get up to look for a phone. The voice on the other line seemed so far away as she watched the life got sucked out of her husband's body._

_End of flashback_

Nathan stared at her in shock. "I killed him Nathan. I killed my own husband," she sobbed and got up from the couch and turned her back on him. He was stunned into speechlessness. Of all the things that he had imagined happened, it definitely wasn't this. He watched her cry and felt helpless. He understood her fear now. He walked slowly towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the touch and turned.

"Don't. Don't touch me. You don't want to touch a killer," she whimpered.

"Haley, stop. Look at me," he urged as he took her shoulders. He felt her body shake from all the crying and touched her face gently. "It wasn't your fault Haley. It was self defence," he said.

"That was what the police said but it didn't change the fact that I killed him Nathan," she said through her tears. "I killed him. I killed him," she kept repeating. He drew her near and wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her close, letting her cry.

"Shhh," he said and kissed her head. "It's okay. I'm here. Nobody's gonna hurt you anymore," he said as he felt his own tears starting to fall. He thought that it was a good thing Steve had died or he would have killed him himself. He held her close thinking he never wanted to let go. That he always wanted to be with her, to protect her. He wanted to be the one to heal her from all the pain of her past and he would be damned if he couldn't find a way to make her trust him, to make her believe in love again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi guys, I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. So here's the next chapter for you guys. I hope it doesn't disappoint. And thank you so much for sticking with me and reviewing. Love you guys. cheers! ;)**

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Chapter 13

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She sat up watched him sleep in a chair next to her bed. He looked exhausted after a long night of truth and revelations. She was torn between waking him and just letting him sleep. They had talked the whole night. She told him how after Steve's death she was looking for a place to go, to run away from her nightmare and just stumbled upon Tree Hill. She told him how at the funeral Joe had looked at her angrily. She saw the malice in his eyes which scared her. She didn't tell him though what Joe had said that day and to this day, remembering it would make her shudder with fear. _You're gonna be sorry for what you did,_ he had said.

She told Nathan how she couldn't look at Steve's parents and not feel guilty and ashamed. Nathan had been beside her all through it all and when she had finished, he held her and let her cry. She told him how scared she was to tell him the truth, how she was afraid that it would push him away. She admitted that she wanted to push him away initially, telling him that it seemed impossible for her to trust another man. And still he never left her side. She felt the tears coming back and took a deep breath. She had thought that her tears were all dried up, instead they just kept on coming.

She saw him stir. He opened his eyes sleepily. "Hey," he said in a hoarse voice. "How did you sleep?" he asked rubbing his neck. He turned his neck to ease the pain and Haley felt guilty for letting him sleep on the chair.

"Okay. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have stayed," she said. He had insisted on staying. He didn't want her to be alone.

He got up and stretched. He gave her a small smile and said, "it was fine. I was more worried about you."

Haley fell silent at his remark. She suddenly felt ill at ease in his presence. "I'll go and make coffee," she said and turned to leave.

"Haley," he called softly. She saw him walk up to her and enfolded her in his arms. "It will be okay. You don't have to be afraid anymore," he promised. She nodded silently in his arms and felt herself relax for the first time since yesterday. She pulled away an gave him a watery smile before making her way to the kitchen.

He watched her back until she disappeared from his view. It had been hours since she told him her story, and yet he still found it unbelievable that the woman that he loved had gone through so much suffering, endured so much pain. He heard a knock on the door and went to open it, knowing that Haley was busy in the kitchen.

Three pairs of eyes went wide when they saw a disheveled looking Nathan answer the door. "Did you spend the night here?" Lucas asked as soon as he found his voice.

"Yeah, I did," Nathan said and looked over his shoulders to catch a glimpse of Haley. He then returned his attention to Lucas, Peyton and Brooke. "Nothing happened. I was just keeping her company. I didn't want to leave her alone after-" He stopped short and felt anger bubbling within him as he thought about Steve and what he had done.

"What happened Nathan?" Peyton asked curiously.

"We talked last night and she erm...she told me what happened," he replied. "I could kill that son of a bitch if he hadn't died already."

Brooke rubbed his arm comfortingly and said, "so are you gonna let us in or do we just stand here?"

Nathan suddenly realized where they were and opened the door wider. "Sorry. Come in. Haley's just making coffee."

"Wow you sound as if you guys are married already," Peyton said mischievously. Nathan couldn't find a retort to her statement, so he just let it slide. "Hey foxy," Peyton called out to Haley. Haley smiled upon seeing her, Brooke and Lucas.

"Hi guys," she said. "Perfect timing. I was just going to make breakfast."

"Screw breakfast. Are you alright?" Brooke asked worriedly. "Nathan told us you told him what happened."

Haley looked at Nathan but his face didn't give away anything. "I'm fine. Secret's out," she said jokingly although her smile seemed forced. She saw the worry in her friends' faces. "I'm fine," she repeated. Seeing that they were somewhat pacified by the reassurance, she set about to make breakfast. They chatted companionably, each one careful not to be bring up Haley's painful past. Every once in a while Haley would catch Nathan stealing glances at her, and everytime she did, she felt the familiar self-consciousness creep in.

She knew her friends meant well, checking up on her but she wished that they would leave so that she could think. Fortunately, her prayer was answered when Lucas said, "well I guess we should go. Brooke and I have a date today." He winked lovingly at Brooke. "And Peyton, didn't you tell me you were supposed to meet Jake this morning?"

"Yeah, I did. He's been going on and on about this new record store in town and has been nagging me to check it out with him." She looked at Haley and placed a hand on her arm. "Are you sure you're alright honey? I can stay if you want," she offered.

"No, I'm fine," Haley said firmly. "I promise." She and Nathan watched them leave, and as usual she felt the words stuck in her throat when she was alone in his company. "You should go too," she finally said to him. "I think I've kept you here long enough." He seemed reluctant to leave her. "Nathan, for God's sake I'm fine," she reprimanded.

"Okay, if you say so," he replied. "Listen, last night was not exactly how I pictured our date. Well, at least not the second half of the night. So do you think you want to try it again?" He sensed her hesitation. "Haley, I know you're afraid and knowing what I know now, I don't blame you. But I think it's about time you let it go. What happened wasn't your fault."

"I know. I know it wasn't my fault. I just, I don't think I'm ready for this yet. I just want to start living again."

"What makes you think you can't do both?" he asked. "Hales, I'm sorry if what I'm about to say scares you, but I love you. I really do."

She closed her eyes and said, "I don't think-"

He cut her off in the middle of her sentence. "Haley, stop thinking and start feeling," he said.

She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Nathan, I just need to be alone today. Please."

"Haley, don't shut me out. Not after everything that's happened."

"I'm not shutting you out. I just need to be alone. I'll call you later okay?" She pulled the robe that she was wearing closer as she looked at him.

He saw that she wasn't going to budge anytime soon and decided to compromise. "Okay, I'll go. Call me." He brought his hand to her face and gently caressed the curves of her feature. "I love you," he said and kissed her softly before letting himself out.

She went to the door and leaned her forehead against it as her breathing got heavier. Before long her heavy breathing had turned into sobs as she felt the familiar ache in her heart. She wondered when her fear of falling in love would go away. She wanted so much to tell Nathan how she felt but her fear got in her way and she hated herself for it. She wiped her tears away and walked unsteadily towards her room before laying down on her bed. Last night was draining on her and she felt exhaustion sink in again. In a matter of moments her eyes closed and she fell back into sleep.

Nathan stood outside her door and for a long time and heard her crying. He put a hand on the knob, fully intending to come in and take her into his arms and comfort her. But she wanted to be alone and he should respect that although his heart was screaming otherwise. He waited until there were no more sounds to be heard on the other side of the door before making his way dejectedly towards his car and drove away.

* * *

She fell into a dream. She thought she saw a figure standing in front of her but she couldn't make out who it was. The figure moved closer and closer to her until they were facing each other.

"Steve," she said his name in fear. Even in a dream, he could still evoke that feeling in her. She stepped back away from him and he moved closer to her, his hand reaching out to her.

"Haley," Steve said, his voice coming out in echoes. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." She seemed to calm at that. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I hurt you so badly. I never meant to. I did love you Hales."

Even in her sleep she could feel her tears starting to fall. "I forgive you," she said to him.

He closed his eyes, his face filled with calmness. He opened his eyes and took her hand. "I want you to love again. You deserve that Haley. Don't run away from love."

"How can I not, when-"

"I know and I'm truly sorry. But don't let your fear cloud what you're feeling. Promise me," he urged and cupped her face in his hand.

She nodded slowly and closed her eyes at his touch. "I promise," she said.

Suddenly a different voice greeted her. "Do you remember my promise Haley?" Joe's voice came out in a sneer. She wanted to scream but her voice didn't come out. She tried to release herself from his grasp but he was too strong for her. "I said I would come after you. You're gonna pay for what you did and I'm gonna enjoy making you.

"No, please don't," she begged.

He wriggled his finger in front of her face mockingly. "Ah ah ah," he sneered. "You're not getting away that easily," he said and took her roughly by her shoulders. She tossed and turned in her sleep as she tried to shake him off in her dream. He gripped her shoulders tightly and pulled her blouse roughly until she could hear a ripping sound.

"No, not again," she said, her eyes white with fear. She saw him bend his head and felt a shudder of disgust when she felt his lips on her neck. She was surprised when she felt the gentle kiss on her skin. He lifted his head and smiled at her.

"I'm here Hales. I'll always be here," Nathan promised and kissed her forehead. She looked down and saw that she was fully clothed and felt relieved. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I will never hurt you. I promise." She was comforted by his words and leaned her head against his chest, letting him envelope her in his arms. She could sense that he was telling the truth and looked up to face him. "I love you," he declared.

She wanted to tell him that she loved him too but stopped when she saw two images appearing on either side of Nathan. Steve smiled at her encouragingly.  
"It's okay," he mouthed. "Tell him," he encouraged her.

"Found yourself another man so quickly Haley," Joe's voice came out sneeringly as he leered at her and she felt the all too familiar fear. Images of Nathan, Steve and Joe continued to swirl in her head as she tossed on her bed, shaking her head, willing herself to wake up.

She finally did and she opened her eyes. She felt her clothes clinging to her body and looked down, only to see her body was drenched in sweat. She wiped the trickle of sweat from her forehead and got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom, letting the coolness of the room calm her down. She then took off her clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the cold water wash away her dream. But her mind continued to drift back to the three men in her life. She thought about Steve and could still hear his apology ringing in her ears, only to be replaced with Steve's threat. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift to Nathan, and how safe he made her feel, his handsome face full of love and promise. She then gingerly stepped out of the shower and got dressed quickly and made her way out.

* * *

Nathan watched the telly as he listened to Lucas and Brooke chat. They had just came back from their date and decided to make a stop at Nathan's place to see how he was doing. He was obviously distracted as he kept thinking about Haley. He didn't blame her for not trusting him so easily although he wished that she could just give in to her feelings.

Brooke nudged Lucas, making him avert his gaze towards his brother, who seemed lost in space. "Hey, man. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nathan said as he jerked into reality and turned to face Lucas. "Actually I'm not," he admitted. "I just wish that she could trust me. I don't know what else to do. I know I'm supposed to give her time, but it's killing me inside Luke."

"Just be there for her Nathan," Brooke said comfortingly. She felt a sudden sadness when she saw him slumped on the couch with his face in his hands. "She does have feelings for you. It just takes time."

"She does?" Nathan asked although deep down inside he already knew the answer.

"Oh yeah, you can spot it in her eyes from a million miles away," she said grinning. He gave a small smile and let the thought of her drown him. Suddenly, all three of them looked up as they heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it," Nathan said and got up to open the door. He swung the door open, only to be greeted by the face that he longed to see. "Haley, what are you doing here?" he managed to say as soon as he found his voice.

Lucas and Brooke craned their heads to see what was going on and when they saw Haley at the door. "I was hoping we could talk," they heard her say and quickly jumped up from the couch.

"Hi Haley," Brooke greeted her. "We're gonna go so you two could be alone," she said and pulled Lucas along with her. Nathan looked at them in appreciation.

"Actually, I was thinking we could take a walk," she suggested.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure. Erm...guys, we're gonna go out for a bit," he said to Lucas and Brooke.

Brooke waved her hand dismissively. "And we're gonna be here," she said and winked at Lucas.

Nathan looked at the two of them warningly. "Don't you guys dare go into my bedroom," he said sternly, knowing full well what those two could be up to when left to their own devices.

"What makes you think we can't do "it" anywhere else?" Lucas said cheekily. Nathan gave him a disgusted look before closing the door behind him.

"Sorry about that," he said apologetically. "So where do you wanna go?" he asked her.

She looked around, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. "Wherever our feet take us," she said and strolled along the streets.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this one's a bit short guys ;)  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! I read all your reviews for the last chapter and they were awesome. I'm really grateful for all your support. And a big shoutout to b.freeman who just got on board :) So here's the new chapter. It's the chapter you guys have been waiting for so I hope it doesn't disappoint. If it does, just let me know so I can do better next time. Keep reviewing you guys. Love you all. Cheers! ;)**

**A/N: the song in this chapter is "Patience" by Take That**

* * *

Chapter 14

_Just have a little patience  
I'm still hurting from a love I lost  
I'm feeling your frustration  
Any minute all the pain will stop._

_Just hold me close inside your arms tonight  
Don't be too hard on my emotions.  
_

He followed her and they walked in silence side by side closely, their skin almost touching. "I never really thanked you for staying with me last night," she said in a small voice.

"You don't have to thank me. I wanted to do it," he said and watched her face.

"Nathan, you've done so much for me and I don't think I've thanked you enough." They reached a clearing and looking around, she realized that they had reached a churchyard. "I've never been here before. It's beautiful," she said and marveled at the calmness the place brought.

"Yeah, this is where my parents got married," Nathan said.

"Your parents are wonderful," she said. She took in the scenery and closed her eyes as the soft breeze gently caressed her face. Nathan watched her in silence, wondering why she had suggested this walk. He followed her as she sat down on a bench. She sat hugging her knees, aware that his eyes were on her the whole time.

"For the longest time, even when I was married to Steve, I thought that I wasn't worthy of his love," she started to say.

He looked at her in surprise. "Haley, you can't have believed that."

She continued as is she didn't hear him. "He was the jock in school and I was Tutorgirl. People thought that we were an odd couple, but he didn't. He always took the time to show me how to be comfortable, with him and with myself. Even when I insisted that we didn't have sex until we were married, he was very respectful of that. And then he hurt me, in the worst possible way. And Joe, he made me feel worthless, like I didn't deserve to be loved by anybody. After all that happened, I didn't think I could ever be okay again. And then I met you. You were always good to me and for once, I could feel myself surfacing from my own sea of self doubt. And it felt good. You made me feel good. You made me feel like I'm me again," she said as she wiped the tears that had fallen.

"Haley, listen to me," he said and cupped her face in his hand. "Everybody deserves to be loved. Especially you. When I told you that I love, I wasn't lying. I know it scared you. Hell, it scared me too. I never thought I would ever fall in love again after Rachel, but I did. Love is not something we choose for ourselves, Hales. Love is something our hearts choose for us."

She looked at his handsome face and smiled. "I know you meant it when you said you love me and you're right. It scared me. I told you I was scared of being hurt, but I wasn't telling you the whole truth."

"What truth? What else weren't you telling me?" he asked, his curiosity peaked.

_'Cause I  
Need time  
My heart is numb, has no feeling  
So while I'm still healing  
Just try and have a little patience._

It took her a moment's hesitation before she said, "I didn't tell you I was scared because of the way I feel about you too. You made me feel again and it scares me. I didn't think I could fall in love so soon and yet I did, with you. I guess a part of me feel guilty towards Steve, like I'm betraying him or something. Maybe because that feeling was so alien to me. I did love him but I was never in love with him. We got married because it was a logical thing for us to do."

He listened to her speak, taking in every word before he realized what she had just said. "Wwait, can you repeat that again?" Nathan stammered. He thought he had heard it wrong.

"I love you too Nathan," she said shyly. "I guess I have been for a while. I was just afraid to admit it to you and to myself. After Steve died, I tried so hard to stop myself from feeling that way about anybody ever again-"

Her words were silenced by a searing kiss from Nathan. He poured his heart and soul into that kiss. He felt as if she had just set him free. Her body melted against him as soon as his lips touched hers. She didn't even fight it off this time. Instead she welcomed it. She was tired of fighting it, of hiding it and she felt it was time to let go. The dream with Steve made her realize how wrong it was for her to fight a feeling that came naturally for her. She was made to love. She was made to be loved.

The kiss deepened and he felt as if he could kiss her sweet lips forever. And she responded by parting her lips, granting him the access he longed for. He heard her sigh against his lips and felt as if his heart could explode any moment. He gently caressed her tongue, loving the way she tasted. They broke apart reluctantly. Both gasping for breath. Both wanting to prolong the kiss.

They stared at each other in wonderment. "That was-" she said when she finally found her breath.

"Everything I ever wanted and more," he continued for her and smiled, his fingers gently caressing her cheek. She twisted her head and kissed his palm. He closed his eyes at the tenderness of the act. He pulled her until she was sitting on his lap and held her close. He could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest, every beat matching his.

"Don't hurt me Nathan. I don't think I can take that anymore," she said softly.

He shook his head fiercely before tilting her chin so she could face him. "Never. I'm gonna love you forever, Haley James." She sank back into his arms, letting his arms wrap her securely.

_I really wanna start over again  
I know you wanna be my salvation  
The one that I can always depend._

_I'll try to be strong  
Believe me I'm trying to move on  
It's complicated but understand me._

_'Cause the scars run so deep  
It's been hard but I have to believe  
Just have a little patience_

They stayed that way for a few minutes, comfortable in each other's presence, grateful for the closeness. She pulled away from him suddenly and took his hand as he looked at him straight in the eye.

"Nathan, do you think we can take this slow? I don't want to rush anything," she asked.

"We can go as slow as you want. Haley, I'm just a man standing in front of you asking to be loved. And you're giving me that love. I can't ask for anything more."

"Can I ask you to be patient with me?" she asked. "It may take some time for me to get used to this and I don't want you to think that I'm playing you along."

"Haley, stop it," he said and put a finger on her lips, silencing her. "I know it's not gonna be easy. For the both of us. But I'm here and I'll always be." She smiled and brought her face closer. She suddenly felt brave around him and wrapped her arms around his neck before touching her lips softly to his. It was all the encouragement he needed as he pulled her closer. They kissed as if it it was their first time, both lost in their private world, oblivious to everything else.

* * *

"What do you think is happening?" Brooke asked Lucas as she snuggled up against him on their couch. They decided to leave Nathan's place just in case he and Haley returned and needed privacy.

Lucas looked at her, knowing full well what she was talking about. He sighed and kissed the top of her head. "I don't know. Something good I hope. You know, if anybody deserves each other, it's gotta be them."

She crinkled her nose and looked at him. "And what about us? Do we deserve each other?"

He laughed softly. "I don't deserve you. You're too good to me."

"I know," she said and laughed. She sobered suddenly and turned around so she could face him. "Luke, can I ask you something?" she asked nervously.

He looked at her curiously. "Yeah, sure. You know you can ask me anything."

"Ok this is gonna sound stupid but I have to know." She took a deep breath and held it for a while before letting it out. "Will you still love me even if...even if I can't give you a baby?"

His face registered pure disbelief. "Brooke, what are you talking about? I didn't ask you to marry me because of that. I married you because I love you. You have to know that, baby."

"I know you did. It's just that I feel bad and I think it's my fault that I'm not pregnant yet eventhough we've been trying so hard."

"Come here you silly goose." He pulled her close to him and played with her hair. "Stop talking crap and listen to me. I love you Brooke Davis Scott. I mean of course I would love to have children with you but it's not up to us. We'll just keep trying okay?" She fell silent which he took as agreement. He knew how much she wanted a baby. He just couldn't believe she thought that way about them. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Hey, what do you say we see someone? A specialist I mean."

She looked at him in surprise. "Are you serious? You would do that? You know what you have to do when we see them right?"

"Yeah, sure I do. I have to emmm...jerk off in a cup," he said embarrassed. "But if it means there's a chance that we could have a baby, I'll do it."

She was amazed at his willingness. "Looks like it's me who doesn't deserve you," she said softly and kissed him. "So shall we start looking?"

"Yeah, what else do we have wait for?" Lucas said happily.

* * *

They walked at a leisurely pace, not talking. He had his arm wrapped around her waist and she leaned against him. He kissed the top of her head, making her look up at him and when she did, he winked at her and smiled.

"Do you want to head back?" he asked. "It's almost lunch time. Are you hungry?"

She smiled lazily at him. "Kind of. What do you have in mind?" Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing.

Nathan flipped his phone and saw his brother's name. "Hey Luke. What's up?" he said. "Yeah, I'm with Haley. We were just heading back home." He listened to Lucas and nodded along. "Yeah, we'll be there. Don't start the fire without me," he warned before hanging up.

"What was that all about? What fire?" Haley asked curiously.

"Nah...Lucas and Brooke are having a barbecue in their backyard. Looks like it's free lunch for us today." He heard her stomach growl and laughed. "Whoa, that didn't sound like 'kind of hungry' to me." She laughed along with him and made their way hurriedly, reaching Lucas's just in time to see him set up the barbecue pit.

Peyton watched them walking hand in hand and smiled. "Are you two-" she let the question hang as she watched their faces break out in a smile. "Oh my God! That is so great! Well, it's about time, foxy," she said to Haley and prised her away from Nathan. "Spill it girl. Oh wait, I have to call Brooke. She'd flip when she hears this. Brooke!!" she yelled on top of her lungs.

Nathan laughed at her antics as Lucas and Jake crowded around him. "So things are finally working out for you guys huh?" Jake asked smilingly. "Good for you Nate."

"Yeah, it's great although we're taking it slow."

"Hey, slow's good man," Lucas piped in. "It's good to see you really smile again Nate," he said and patted his arm. "So come on, let's get the fire going already," he said as he handed Nathan and Jake aprons.

"What the hell Peyton? Did you really have to shout like that? Damn, I think I've gone deaf," Brooke complained as Peyton dragged her and Haley to a spot.

Peyton grinned from ear to ear. "Wait till you hear this. Haley and Nathan are together!" she exclaimed and covered her ears in anticipation of Brooke's reaction. Sure enough, what followed was a loud screech.

"Oh my God! Haley! Oh I'm so happy for you guys," she said and gave Haley a hug. "So how do you feel?" she asked.

Haley looked at them and smiled happily. "I feel good. In fact, I feel great although it's still gonna take a while for me to get used to it."

"Oh don't worry about it. If anybody could make a girl feel good, it's Nathan. He sure could show a girl how to have a good time," Jake quipped as he came behind them, hugging Peyton from behind and kissing her neck.

Haley's face changed at his remark and froze, which didn't go unnoticed by Brooke and Peyton. "Don't listen to him Haley. Nathan's a good guy," Peyton said before turning to Jake. "And you, stop saying things like that!" she reprimanded him.

He suddenly realized that it was probably the wrong thing to say to Haley and looked guilty. "Forget what I said, Hales. That was stupid of me," he admitted. She nodded and cast a glance at Nathan, who was chatting with Lucas. He caught her eye and smiled at her. She smiled back at him although Jake's words still rang in her ears. She decided to shrug it off and turned her attention back at the girls and Jake.

"So I too have an announcement to make," Brooke said, unable to keep her news a secret any longer. "Lucas and I decided to really try to have a baby and see a specialist." She waited for her friends' reactions, hoping that they didn't think that she was a loser for not conceiving already.

"That's great Brooke," Haley was the first to react. She knew how much having a baby meant and she was happy that Brooke and Lucas decided to get help. "It's really great that you're taking this step. I hope it'll work out for you."

Peyton pulled her into an embrace. "Do you need me to do anything?" she offered.

Brooke smiled and shook her head. "No, not really. We'll let you know as soon as we found the right doctor. Now come on, I think we can start eating already. I'm starving!" she announced and looped her arm with Peyton's as they both joined Lucas and Nathan.

Jake looked at Haley, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and guilty for the remark that he had made earlier. "Hey, Haley. About what I said. I didn't mean it. I've known Nathan since we were old enough to talk and he's a great guy. You have to know that." She nodded at him although she didn't look all that convinced. "One thing you have to know about Nathan is that when he loves somebody, he really puts his heart and soul into that somebody."

"Thanks Jake. I'm just afraid that he would expect me to sleep with him now that we're together and I don't think I'm ready for that," she admitted her fear.

He patted her arm reassuringly. "I don't think you have anything to fear. Nathan wouldn't force you to do anything that you don't want to. And let me let you in a little secret. When he was with Rachel, he wouldn't sleep with her until he was sure that she was the one. So you see Haley, Nathan's not the kind of guy who jumps straight into something. He's a guy who always follows his heart, not his head and certainly not his libido," he said grinning.

Haley grinned back at him in relief. She didn't voice her fear at Nathan earlier for fear that he would laugh at him. She knew that it was one obstacle that she had to go through and hearing Jake saying all those things made her feel a lot better. Suddenly she felt her waist being encircled from behind by his arms and she leaned back against him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nathan asked as he rested his chin on her head.

"Nothing," Jake said and winked at Haley. "I was just telling Haley how you squealed like a girl that time when I pushed you into a puddle," he lied.

"Hey, we were three and you were mean," Nathan defended himself. Haley laughed out loud and pulled his arms tighter around her waist.

"There's plenty of stories like that Haley. One day couldn't cover it, so anytime you need a good laugh, just give me a call," Jake joked.

"Jackass," Nathan said. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You ready to eat?"

She twisted around and looked at him lovingly. "Yeah, I think I'm ready for anything," she said.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys. I'm really glad that you guys liked the last chapter and the Brooke trying for a baby storyline. I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of reviews though. Anyway, a big shoutout of lil-devilish-kitten, mobilegirl23, aa16mm, helen15, musical-cynders, kipper503, yourstrulyxoxo and holiday latte, the new readers to this story and also to all my awesome regulars. You guys are just awesome! I'll try to update sooner as soon as I get enough reviews okay, so hang in there. In the meantime, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you guys think ok. Cheers! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 15

The days after the barbecue flew by blissfully especially for Nathan and Haley. He couldn't believe that he was finally with her. Every day he woke up with a smile on his face thinking of the moment when he would next see her. He knew that it was going to take a lot more than his words to make her feel that she could really trust him and he was determined to prove that she could.

That morning, just like any other mornings Haley woke up with a grin plastered on her face as she thought of Nathan. She threw back her blanket and stretched lazily. Nathan had offered to pick her up so they could go to school together but she refused to be too dependent on him, just like she was with Steve. Maybe that was the problem. She was too dependent until she lost the ability to think for herself. She shook her head to get rid of any thoughts about her past and quickly got up to shower.

An hour later saw her racing through the busy hallway of the school as she glanced frantically at her watch. She honestly thought that she was late, after spending too much time in her kitchen trying to make her coffee maker to work.

"Whoa!" A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her, making her jump in fright. "Where's the fire?" a sexy drawl greeted her.

She smiled as she let Nathan lead him to an empty classroom and closed the door behind them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked into her eyes. "Hey you," he said.

"Hey yourself," she said shyly. She didn't know how he did it, but he could always make her blush. She didn't have time to dwell on that thought as she felt his lips crushing down on hers, taking her breath away.

"I've missed you," he said hoarsely when they finally pulled away.

"Nathan, stop that. Somebody's gonna see us," she said nervously and pushed him away. "And I'm late."

He refused to let her go and pulled her back to him. "No, you're not. You have exactly one minute," he said cheekily. He proved to be wrong when Principal Turner walked in the classroom.

"Nathan? Haley? What are you guys doing here? Haley, don't you have first period with the seniors?" he asked curiously.

Nathan watched in amusement as her cheeks blushed prettily. "I was just...I must have gone in the wrong class," she stammered as she gave Principal Turner a lame excuse that she was sure he was not going to buy that easily.

"It's too early in the morning for you too, huh?" Principal Turner nodded in understanding. He then turned to Nathan asked in a sterner voice. "Nathan, aren't you supposed to be in the gym?"

"Yeah, I am. I was just waiting to see James. He's in this class," he lied smoothly, referring to one of the boys who was in his basketball team.

Principal Turner didn't feel as if anything was amiss. "Make it quick," he said to Nathan before leaving them alone. As soon as he was gone, Haley smacked Nathan right on his chest, making him yell through his laughter.

"That was too close Nathan!" she hissed at him. "And you're a smooth liar," she remarked.

Nathan snickered and took both of her hands. "You look pretty when you blush," he said smiling. His smile faltered when she didn't share his amusement. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

"Nothing, I'm just-" she let her eyes fall to her shoes before looking back up at him. "It's not you. It's me. This is all so very new to me and I'm still not sure how to handle it. Steve was a real fan of PDA and it always made me uncomfortable."

He looked at her and his face softened. "Haley, there is nothing wrong with showing the world how we feel about each other," he started to say. He noticed that she didn't look convinced. "But obviously you're not comfortable with that yet, so it's cool. I told you that we would take this slow and I'm trying to." He then grinned mischievously. "But it's so damned hard when it's you I'm in love with," he said and ran his fingers through her silky brown hair.

"I'm sorry Nathan. I'm really trying. I really am."

"Stop it. Don't be silly. There's nothing for you to be sorry about. We have all the time in the world. Why rush something this good? Now come on," he said and took her hands, leading her out of the classroom. "In a couple of minutes, we're really gonna be late and Turner's gonna be after our heads. I will see you at lunch," he said and kissed her softly before smacking her ass playfully, making her jump. She laughed before sticking her tongue out at him and walked quickly to her class.

He watched her with a smile on his face, his lips still tingling from their kiss. "I miss you already," he whispered to himself before making his own way to the gym.

* * *

Peyton found Brooke at her boutique, struggling to dress her mannequin. It was a pretty slow morning which gave her a chance to straighten up her store. "Brooke, what the hell are you doing?" Peyton asked as she rushed over to her, seeing that Brooke was about to fall backwards from lifting the heavy mannequin. "Geez, don't you have somebody to do this for you?"

"I do but Millicent is at Karen's getting me my breakfast," she grumbled. "Besides, I kinda like doing these kinds of stuff. It's fun," she declared.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be so fun if you fell backwards with your feet up in the air," Peyton remarked with a snicker. "Anyway, we didn't get a chance to talk much at the barbecue about your news and you and Lucas were so busy after that with the doctor's appointment and all. How's that going for you and Lucas?" she asked as she plunked herself down on a couch, pulling Brooke along with her.

Brooke appeared thoughtful, taking her time to answer her question. "It's going fine," she said slowly. Peyton raised her eyebrows which meant that she knew that there was more to it than just being 'fine'. Brooke rolled her eyes at how well Peyton knew her. "Okay fine. It's proving to be a lot more difficult than we thought. I had this idea that it would just be a trip to the doctor and she'll fix me up and bam! We'll have that baby."

"And it's not," Peyton finished it for her.

"And it's not," Brooke agreed. "And Lucas has it easy. He just had to jerk off in a cup and that's it. That's all he has to do. Me, I have to do like a gazillion tests and have people poke things down there," she said as she made a face, waving her arms at the spot between her legs. She shivered as she remembered the awful sessions she had at the doctor's.

Peyton reached out for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry Brooke. But hey, look at the bright side. This experience will be nothing compared to the day when you hold you newborn baby in your arms. It's all gonna be worth it. I promise."

"You think so?" Brooke asked, her face still showed uncertainty.

"I know so," Peyton said with a smile. "How's Luke taking all this?"

Brooke let out a long sigh. "He's been a real trooper, coming with me to every appointment. I'm almost sorry I put him through all this. It was my idea."

"Brooke, that guy would walk through fire for you. I bet he thinks that this is just a piece of cake to him. Don't worry too much. You decided to do this, so finish it. To be honest, I envy you."

"You do?"

Peyton smiled reassuringly. "Sure I do. You know exactly what you want and you do your best to make sure you get it. I really respect that. Now stop all this wallowing and self-pitying, will you. It's so not the Brooke Davis Scott that I know."

Brooke looked at her best friend of twenty-six years gratefully as she felt the familiar excitement rush through her veins at the thought of this new chapter in her life.

* * *

Haley was deep in concentration, eating her macaroni and cheese during lunch and enjoying the fresh air when she saw a plate slide up next to hers. She looked up and smiled. "Hey, Lucas. Where's Nathan?" she asked peering over his shoulders.

"He's uh, he's still at the gym but he said he'll be here in a couple of minutes," he said. "So what's going on with you?"

She absentmindedly picked at her food and shrugged. "Nothing much. I'm a bit busy with school and tutoring but I'm loving it."

"Yeah, you've been busy with Nathan too," he remarked with a small smile. She could feel her cheeks becoming warmer at the remark. "Look, I've never told you this before but I think you guys are great together."

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" she asked.

"Well, because it's true. Look, it's not often that people get a second chance in love and this is yours and Nathan's. I say you grab it and don't let go."

Haley was saved from replying when Nathan slid down next to her, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, have you been waiting long?" he asked as he grabbed her fork and started munching on her food.

"No, not really. I've got Lucas to keep me company for a while," she said and looked at Lucas who gave her a wink.

"What is it about you and mac and cheese anyway?" Lucas asked her. "You eat that thing almost on a daily basis."

Haley tapped her fork on his arm and chuckled. "Wait, you don't know?"

"Know what?" Lucas asked with interest. Next to her, Nathan was already chuckling.

"That mac and cheese is the food of the Gods. I mean seriously, what can be better than mac and cheese?" she said with a know-it-all look. Nathan thought that she looked too cute when she was being cheeky that he had to resist the urge to grab her and kiss her senseless.

Lucas looked bewildered. "You're joking right? How can mac and cheese be the food of the Gods? It's just macaroni and cheese. As for what else can be better than mac and cheese, I can name at least twenty," he retorted.

Nathan laughed at him. "Ooooohhh you don't want to go there man. Haley's very serious when it comes to mac and cheese," he said as he gently grazed her arm.

She turned to Nathan and asked him playfully, "do I want to be friends with this guy?"

Nathan shook his head and looked at her with a serious face. "No, not really."

"That's what I thought," she said and folded her arms in satisfaction.

"Hey! Come on! That's mean!" Lucas protested. "Okay fine, I'm sorry. Geez, it's just mac and cheese." Nathan laughed out loud at that and he was rewarded with Lucas giving him a dirty look. "Not helping man," he said. Haley still looked indignant. "I tell you what. As my apology, I'll show you Nathan's pictures when he was a kid."

"Why should that interest me?" she asked.

Lucas his eyebrows. "He's naked in half of them."

"Dude! What the hell?" Nathan yelled. Haley giggled at her reaction. "Get out of here already will you?"

"What do you mean 'get out of here'? I'm still having my lunch," Lucas said indignantly and quickly made a show of eating his sandwich. Laughter bubbled in Haley's throat as she watched the banter between the two brothers.

"So Lucas, how's the fertility treatment going?" she asked tentatively, unsure whether it was a sensitive subject or not. Fortunately Lucas didn't seem to be too bothered by her question.

"It's going fine I think. I've just given my sample and Brooke has done her tests. It's gonna take a few days before we know the results, but we're hanging in there," he said thoughtfully.

Nathan noticed that Haley had suddenly grown quiet. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. She didn't seem to hear him. Her mind flew back to the time when she lost her own baby, and it suddenly brought her so much pain and sadness. "Haley?" Nathan asked again.

She jumped at the sound of his voice. "Huh? What?"

"You looked like you were a million miles away," Lucas said.

"Oh. Sorry, I was just...nevermind. It's nothing important," she said and put on a smile. "Don't worry Luke. If you wish for something hard enough, it will happen," she said wisely.

Nathan looked at her with interest. "Did you get what you wish for?"

She smiled at him and said, "I think so." She took his hand and they looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

Lucas raised his hands in mock defeat. "Oh my God, will you guys get a room already? I think I'm gonna go and leave you two lovebirds alone before I throw up." He looked at her and said, "but my offer's still on the table Haley," he said.

For a moment she looked confused. "What offer?"

Her question was answered by a sly look on Lucas's face. "Nathan's naked pictures. Just name the time," he said before winking and left.

Nathan groaned into his hands as soon as Lucas left. "You're lucky you're an only child Hales," he said, making her laugh. He then smiled as he looked at her. "You look different."

"Oh yeah?" she said, suddenly embarrassed.

He tucked her hair behind her ear gently before caressing her face. "Yeah, you look happy. I love it when you smile," he said and gently kissed her on the lips.

"Nathan," she whispered before gently pushing him away. "We can't. Not here. My students could see me and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. Not to mention Turner," she said, although the thought of kissing him immediately sent shivers coursing through her body.

He tried to swallow his frustration. He realized that it would take a lot of hard work and a long time to make her more comfortable with their relationship and he loved her too much to push her. After all, he had made a promise to her and he intended to keep it. He smiled at her and she felt her worry ebb away. For a moment she thought that she had pushed him to his limits.

"Okay," he said. "But you are going out with me tonight. Deal?"

She gave him a look of pure relief. "Okay. What do you have in mind?"

"Movie and dinner?" he asked.

"Sounds good," she said happily. She glanced at her watch and groaned. "We should get back. Lunch's almost over. I'll see you tonight okay?"

Nathan resisted the urge to pull her into his arms. He was not ready to be parted with her yet, if only for a few hours. That whole morning, his mind kept going back to his girl, wondering what she was doing every second that they were not together. With a start, he realized that no other girl had ever made him feel this way. She was constantly on his mind, occupying every single cell in his brain and he loved it.

"Tonight it is," he finally said. "Will you miss me?" he asked coyly.

She nodded. "I will. I promise," she said solemnly.

"Can I just kiss you once? Please," he begged.

She looked around to make sure that nobody was watching. To her relief, the lunch crowd had trickled down to only a few people. "Just one," she said smiling.

"One is all I need," Nathan said before tilting her chin and planting a soft kiss on her lips, which quickly turned passionate. As usual she could feel her heart drumming in her chest. That was always the case whenever she was around him. No man had ever had this effect on her and it both scared her and excited her at the same time. She quickly realized that her relationship with Steve paled in comparison to what she was having with Nathan.

She pushed him away gently a few moments later. "We should go," she said, her voice trembling slightly. He reluctantly obeyed and they both got up and walked side by side. Suddenly, the sound of her cellphone made her stop in her tracks. She flipped her phone open and with a frown, she saw that it was an unfamiliar number. Just as she was about to pick it up, the ringing stop. She made a mental note to return the call to whoever it was when she got home.

"Who is it?" Nathan asked curiously.

"I don't know," she said and stared at her phone. Something didn't feel right to her but she quickly dismissed it. She turned her attention to him and they chatted comfortably all the way to her class, the phone call quickly forgotten.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi guys. I know I should be hanged for not posting in soooooo long. I guess it's hard to juggle two stories after all. Anyway, here's a new chapter after a long absence. I hope you'll enjoy it and as per usual, let me know what you guys think. Cheers! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 16

"Will you look at those two?" Jake said in disgust and inclined his head towards Nathan and Haley, their heads close together, both deep in conversation at the counter. It was a Saturday and they were having breakfast at Karen's. Haley decided to join them and help Karen out, knowing that Saturday was always a busy day for her.

Lucas made a face while the girls snickered. "Yeah I know. You should see them in school last week, sneaking around and playing tonsil hockey when they thought no one was looking. Ugh!"

Brooke laughed and slapped his arm. "Come on Luke. You were the one who said that Nathan deserves to be happy. And he is. Stop your whining. Just look at them. They're too cute together," Brooke gushed.

Things however, were not as rosy as they thought. At the counter, Nathan smiled at Haley who was pulling her hair up in a ponytail. "What?" she asked self-consciously.

"Nothing, I just feel like kissing you right now," he said and ran his fingers on her arm.

"Not right now Nathan. I'm busy. There are like a dozen people I have to serve and I promised Karen I'd help," she said evasively.

His disappointment showed in his face. "Come on Hales. Just one kiss," he pleaded and pulled her closer.

"Nathan, I said no!" she said and pushed him away.

"What the hell Hales?" a bewildered Nathan asked. "What's wrong with you this week?" he asked. He could not understand her attitude towards him this week ever since they had lunch with Lucas in school. He tried to ask her about it but she refused to give him a straight answer.

"I told you, I'm fine," she said adamantly. She started to move away from but was stopped by his hand on his arm.

He searched her face looking for clues. "What's going on Haley? Why are you shutting me out again? Will you please talk to me?"

She sighed and attempted to smile. "I'm not shutting you out. I'm just really busy right now."

He knew the signs no matter how she tried to hide it but he decided to let it go. "Fine," he said quietly and let go of her arm.

He started to move away when he heard her call his name. "Nathan, wait-"

He turned around and faced her angrily. "You know what Hales. You don't want to tell me, that's fine. But dammit, what does it take to get you to trust me?" He took in a deep breath and said, "I'm suddenly not hungry. Call me when you wanna talk." And before she could stop him, he was already out of the door.

Peyton noticed the exchange and quietly got up from her chair and walked towards Haley. "Where did Nathan go?" she asked and instantly became worried when she saw Haley's pale face. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," she said distractedly. "Nathan had to go somewhere," she lied.

Peyton was not convinced especially when she saw Haley's trembling hands. "Are you sure you're alright? You can talk to me, you know."

Haley nodded and gave her a small smile. "I know but really I'm fine. Why don't you sit over there and I'll get you your orders," she said in an attempt to change the subject.

Peyton was reluctant to leave but seeing that Haley was not about to budge, decided to leave her alone. Once Peyton left, Haley heaved a sigh of relief. Her thoughts went to Nathan and she felt a sudden sadness. He was right. She should learn to trust him, but something she couldn't quite explain was holding her back. She hated when her insecurities came flooding back and it seemed like she was pushing him away. Her thoughts then turned to the phone call she got the other day. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something was not right. She never gave out her number to anyone except for her new group of friends in Tree Hill. She had asked Brooke, Peyton and Jake if they had called her and they had said no, which puzzled her further. Fortunately, the breakfast crowd was beginning to go crazy and she managed to push the phone call from her mind.

As soon as she finished serving the customers, she sat down at the table and joined her friends. "What happened to Nathan?" Lucas asked.

Haley poked at her food and said, "he umm...he had to go home. Said he forgot something." Lucas nodded and didn't ask her anymore, much to her relief although she noticed that Peyton was eyeing her curiously. She avoided Peyton's eyes and continued to talk with the rest of the gang, hoping they didn't feel as if anything was amiss.

* * *

Nathan looked at his watch and then to his cell phone, willing it to ring. It had been a few hours since she left Haley at his mom's cafe and she still hadn't called. His fingers itched to dial her number but he hesitated. He snapped the phone shut and sighed. He started to walk in the direction of her house, hoping the walk would clear his head. He knew that getting into this relationship with her was going to take a lot of work, but sometimes he couldn't help feeling frustrated with her. Most times she was the happy Haley but other times, she would clam shut around him. He looked up the darkened sky, hoping that it wouldn't rain until he reached his destination.

He finally reached her front door and brought up his hand to knock. He thought better of it and rested his head on the door and closed his eyes. In the background he could hear the rain starting to fall. He then knocked on the door softly but there was no answer. "Come on Hales, open the door," he muttered under his breath. And still there was silence. Maybe she wasn't back from the cafe, he thought. He sat on the doorstep and waited for her, his eyes dropping as he watched the splashes of rain create a puddle at his feet. He smiled as he thought back to the night when he was standing in the rain with Haley. His heart ached at the thought of her. He didn't think he could ever love somebody this fiercely but he did. The sounds of someone running made him look up. He saw her running in the rain with her hand over her head.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw him. "Nathan, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," he said and started to walk towards her.

"It's pouring! We should go inside," she said, her hair already dripping wet.

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I just wanted to see you," he said. "I was worried about you. Where were you?" he asked.

She looked over her shoulder. "I took a walk. I just didn't feel like coming home." She looked at him and saw water trickling down his face. "We really should get in."

He took a step closer until she was at arm's reach. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Nathan, you didn't do anything," she said. "It's me. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"You don't understand," he said. "I made you a promise that I won't push you, and that is exactly what I did." She looked away and bit her lips. "Haley, look at me." He touched her face prompting her to look at him. "I don't know what you're not telling me and I can't force you to tell me, but please don't run away from me."

She fell silent at her words. "We really should get in. You're soaking wet," she finally said and pulled him to the direction of her door. Once inside she ran to her room to get towels for her and Nathan. She handed one to him and he took it gratefully.

"Thanks," he said quietly and started drying himself, all the while watching her every move. "Hey do you mind if I took my shirt off to let it dry?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. Hang on. Wait here a minute," she said.

"Where are you going?" he asked quizzically.

She looked over her shoulder and said, "I'm getting you something to wear while I dry your clothes." She left him waiting in her living room. Drops of water were beginning to pool around his feet making him curse.

He sensed that she was back and said, "shit. I'm sorry Hales. Do you have another towel for me to wipe your floor?"

Haley waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'll do it later. Here, why don't you try this on for size," she said and handed him the clothes that she was carrying. He noticed that she also had a change of clothes. Wearing a simple tank top and jeans, he thought she looked cute.

"Uh, Hales? What are these?" Nathan asked as he looked at the men's clothings.

"These are my dad's. I still keep some of his clothes and my mom's," she said quietly.

For a moment he didn't know how to react to that. He stared at the clothes blankly, although he was relieved that the clothes weren't Steve's. "Thanks," he said awkwardly. He tried it on and it fit perfectly. For a moment he had a mental image of what her parents looked like. He then turned, his eyes searching for her. He spotted her cleaning up the mess that he had made.

"Hey, Hales. Do you look like your parents?" he asked. He knew that if he tried to talk about their relationship, she would just try to wriggle her way out of it.

She smiled for the first time. "I dunno. Most people tell me I look like my mom." She scurried to her bedroom and took out a photo album. "Here," she said and handed it to him shyly.

He took it from her and smiled, and grabbing her hand he pulled her down on the couch with him. He flipped through the album, mesmerized by images of her and her family. They looked so happy that it made him feel bad that they were gone. Suddenly he laughed out loud as he looked at a picture of an obvious naked Haley when she was a kid.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with naked pictures," he said cheekily and promptly let out a yelp as he felt her hand smacking her arm. They both laughed, glad that things were returning to normal between them. She started showing him pictures while regaling the stories behind the pictures. He noticed that nowhere in the album was any picture of Steve.

"Don't you have any picture of...you know?" he asked, not wanting to mention Steve's name.

She hesitated to answer. "No, I got rid of them after what happened," she said. He put down the album and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He kissed the top of her forehead tenderly, once again feeling protective over her.

"I'm so sorry that things have been hard on you in the past," he said.

She looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, but that's just it, isn't it? A thing of the past. I've got you now." She then kissed him on the lips softly. "I'm sorry Nathan, for what happened earlier. I guess it's just hard for me to adjust my life now that I've got you in it. It's been so long since I've had someone who...you know-"

"Someone who loves you?" he finished the sentence for her.

"See! It's hard for me to even say it," she said. She started to get up but Nathan managed to grab her hand and pulled her down again so that she was now seated on his lap.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I don't have any problem saying it. I love you Haley James. I love you. I love you," he said repeatedly in between kisses. He pulled away. Something shifted between them as they looked at each other intently. They both moved at the same time, their heads bent as their lips met. They kissed hungrily, pausing only to get some air. Their kisses turned from passionate to gentle and intimate, neither one of them knew which one they liked best.

"We should stop," Haley said breathlessly. With great difficulty, he nodded in agreement.

He gently tucked her hair behind her ear, kissing her there, making her shiver at the contact. "I am so in love with you Hales," he whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes at his declaration, and when she opened them he thought they looked a bit misty. "I love you too Nathan," she said. "I know that I'm not making things easy for us. Just give me some time okay?"

He smiled at her. "We have all the time in the world. I promise I'll be here if you need me," he promised. "I just wish that you would confide in me more. I know that something's troubling you and I understand if you can't tell me what it is yet. I just wish you could trust me more."

"I do trust you," she said hoping that he would understand.

"Good," he said. "Coz you know I'll never hurt you." He cupped her face in his hand and brought it closer so he could kiss her again. Their lips met again, this time he took his time. He kissed her tenderly, showing her all the he felt in that kiss. He traced her soft lips with his tongue, loving the sounds she made as he did so. He then traced the line between her lips urging them open, and when she obliged his tongue sought hers. He swore he felt an explosion as their tongues met, tangling with each other as he sucked playfully. He moaned involuntarily as he felt his loins aching with want. He pushed her back gently against the couch and kissed her deeper and felt her hand rummaging through his hair.

His lips then trailed to her neck and he made his way down on her shoulder blade. He pushed the strap of her tank top down, exposing her naked shoulder. He started kissing it, encouraged by the sounds she made.

"God Haley, what you do to me," he whispered softly as he placed his hand inside of her top, making his way to her breast.

Suddenly he heard her say, "stop."

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

"Nathan, stop. Please," she begged. He saw the fear returning in her eyes and pulled back.

"Hey, it's okay," he said soothingly although he made no attempts to touch her again. "I won't hurt you," he said.

She felt the tears threatening to fall. "I know," she said, her voice coming out in a mere whisper. "I'm just not ready for this. I'm sorry."

He pulled her again in his arms. "It's okay. I'm not gonna force you to do things that you're not ready to do yet. I promise."

She nodded in her arms, this time she let the tears fall, knowing that he couldn't see them. Just like he couldn't see the images of Steve in her heard, forcing himself on her on that fateful night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi guys, some of you are asking for some Naley loving so I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Thank you for reviewing the last chapter although there weren't many, I really appreciate those of you who did. Thank you again for the new readers to this story, you know who you are and although I may not be able to thank each and every one of you personally, I really do appreciate your support. Special shout out to Brooke. I hope you feel better girly ;) Anyway, enjoy this one. Let me know what you think. This one's a bit longer and you'll see why. Cheers! ;)**

**A/N: Warning: mature contents ahead**

* * *

Chapter 17

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucas asked for what seemed like the hundredth time that day as he watched Brooke fussed about with setting up the dinner table. They were expecting Peyton and Jake to join them any minute.

Brooke stewed inside at her husband's lack of help although she couldn't really blame him, after the bomb that she had dropped on him that morning. "Lucas, I love you but for the last damn time, I'm sure. So can you please shut it?" she said exasperatedly. "Besides, you agreed to do it this morning. Have you changed your mind?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I haven't. I'm all for it if you are. It's just that...you know it's not gonna be easy right?"

She calmly transferred the mash potato that she had prepared earlier into a bowl and said, "honey, I know it's not gonna be easy. But as long as we're in it together, we'll be alright. I know we can do this."

"You're right," Lucas finally said. Just then, the doorbell rang signaling Peyton and Jake's arrival. "Let's just hope Peyton and Jake think so too," he muttered under his breath. "Hey guys, come in," he said and plastered a wide smile on his face.

"Hey man. I haven't seen you in days," Jake commented as he bumped fists with Lucas.

Lucas smirked and said, "huh, you're one to talk. Everytime I called you, you would either be busy with work or busy with Peyton, doing the other 'work', if you know what I mean."

Jake laughed out loud. "You know me. Can't seem to keep my hands off my girl. Just the other day-"

Lucas held up his hand and grimaced. "I think you should stop right there. Too much information, man," he said eliciting another loud laugh from Jake.

"So what's cooking Brooke?" Peyton asked with interest as she peered in the kitchen. "Whatever it is, it sure smells good," she commented. She looked around looking for something to do but quickly realized that everything was done. She couldn't help but feel impressed by Brooke's domesticity ever since she got married to Lucas. Knowing her since they were kids, the Brooke that was standing before her now was a totally different one from a few years ago. The Brooke she knew back then was sort of a wild child who didn't care much about anybody else except herself. Peyton could see that Brooke had mellowed down her ways and was glad that she found Lucas to share her life with. No doubt Lucas had a hand in transforming her friend, although she knew that she could still count on Brooke to have a good time. And being friends with Haley certainly helped her culinary skills.

Brooke gave her a smile. "Good that you're hungry. I made plenty of food," she said and handed the bowl of mashed potato to Peyton who obediently carried it to the table. "Okay guys. We can eat now," she declared to the boys who scurried to the dinner table, looking like they haven't eaten in weeks.

Lucas looked around the table appreciatively. "Wow, you've really outdone yourself this time Brooke. This looks amazing," he said, making Brooke positively glowing.

"How come you didn't ask Nathan and Haley to come around too?" Jake asked suddenly.

Brooke and Lucas exchanged looks nervously. She then made a show of serving everybody. "Guys?" Peyton said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. We just thought that it would be nice if the four of us had dinner together," Lucas said, trying very hard to be nonchalant about it. Peyton eyed them suspiciously although she kept quiet. They continued to eat dinner comfortably. Every once in a while laughter could be heard all around the table as they chatted.

"I wonder what Haley is up to tonight? Do you think she's out with Nathan?" Peyton asked curiously. She had suspected that they might have a lover's tiff at Karen's yesterday although she couldn't quite confirm it. And whenever she asked Haley, she would tell her that everything was fine.

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since yesterday. Why do you ask?"

Peyton pierced her fork into her steak before putting it into her mouth, and as she munched her expression looked thoughtful. "No reason. I'm just worried about her."

Jake placed his hand on hers and patted it. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. She's a big girl. Besides she's with Nathan now and you know what Nathan is like when he's in love."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "He's right. And I've never seen Nathan like this before. Not even with Rachel," he said, commenting on his brother's behaviour. "Let's hope he can bring Haley out of her shell soon."

When they have finished eating, they retreated to the living room, each one of them holding a mug of hot chocolate in their hands. "So, tell me. What's with the dinner?" Peyton asked. "Brooke, you're really bad at lying, so don't even try," she warned.

Brooke looked like she was a deer caught in the headlights. She bit her lips nervously and sat down on the couch and gestured for Peyton and Jake to do the same. "I have something to ask you guys."

"Both of us?" Jake asked. "Wow, this sounds serious. So spill it."

Brooke took a deep breath and turned to Lucas when she felt his hand patting hers reassuringly. He nodded in encouragement, prompting her to say, "you guys know that we're trying for a baby right?" Jake and Peyton nodded, although they didn't quite see why this concerned them.

"Well, it turns out that I've got a hostile womb which makes it difficult for me to conceive," she said.

"Oh Brooke, I'm so sorry," Peyton said. "Anything we can do to help?"

"Actually there is. There are a two options that we're thinking about. The first is adoption," Lucas said.

"And what's the second one?" Peyton asked.

"Surrogacy," Brooke said and waited for her reaction. It then dawned on Peyton what Brooke was asking her to do. She started to get up and started pacing. "Peyton, I know it's a huge thing what I'm asking you to do, but you're the only person I could think of to carry our baby."

Jake looked at them muted with a shell shocked expression which did not go unnoticed by Brooke. "Jake, we thought we should tell you coz well, you and Peyton look set to be spending the rest of your lives together. So this decision is gonna affect you too." Her words were met with more silence. "I understand if you guys need time to think about it. It's not an easy decision to make, believe me we know," she said.

Peyton looked at her mutinously and slowly nodded her head. For the first time since Brooke dropped the bomb she spoke. "Yeah, me and Jake need to talk about this first. But Brooke, believe me when I say this, no matter what our decision may be, I want you to know that you can always count on me."

Brooke went over to her and gave her a big hug. "I know honey. I love you P. Sawyer."

"I love you too, B. Davis," Peyton said with misty eyes. "Now, come on. Tell me more about this surrogacy thing," she said lightheartedly.

* * *

Peyton unlocked her door and let herself and Jake in. She noticed that Jake had been quite since they left Brooke and Lucas's house. She didn't blame him though. He must be as shocked as she was, if not more. She herself was torn between agreeing Brooke's request and denying her of her chance of being a mother. Five years ago if she had asked Brooke where she saw herself now, she knew that being a mother was the last thing that was on Brooke's mind. But now it seemed like it was the only thing she could think of and Peyton couldn't bring herself to deny that chance of happiness for her friend.

"You're still shocked huh?" she commented to Jake once they had settled themselves in.

Jake managed to give her a small smile. "Shocked would be the understatement of the year, if you ask me. So what do you think?" he asked and pulled her down to his lap.

She leaned back against his chest. "You know what, I'm actually okay with this. But I'm not gonna decide anything without you having your say first."

He looked at her in surprise. "You're okay with this?" he asked.

She pulled back so she could look at him properly. "Yeah, I am. I know how much Brooke and Lucas want this baby and I want to help. Besides, it's not like we're gonna get married and have our own family anytime soon," she said. "But what do you think? Do you think I should do this?"

Jake looked at her in wonder. If anybody asked him what made him fall in love with Peyton, it would be the easiest question for him to answer. He had never known anyone who was more loving and compassionate than his girlfriend. "If you're sure about this, then I'll be here to support you all the way." Peyton smiled broadly. "Peyton, I know you think that marriage and family are the last things on my mind right now, but I want you to know that I do want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I do want us to have our own children-"

Peyton smiled at him lovingly. "I know baby. Which is why I think we should do this. It would be like a trial run for us. So, we're okay? We're gonna say yes?" she asked him hopefully.

"We're gonna say yes," Jake said firmly.

Peyton let out a squeal of delight. "Oh I can't wait to tell Brooke!" she said giddily. "Thanks Jake," she said before planting a deep kiss on his lips. Before long she felt him pull her down along with him on the couch.

"Did Brooke say that we're not allowed to have sex before we do this surrogacy thing?" he asked slyly.

She grinned mischievously. "Well, if she did I didn't hear it," she said and rolled on top of him, fully intending to do naughty things to him all night long.

* * *

Haley ate alone that night. Nathan had asked her out for dinner that night and she made an excuse of having a lot of homework to do. The truth was, she needed to be alone that night. As much as she loved spending time with him, she needed tonight to gather her thoughts. She remembered the passionate kiss she shared with him yesterday after she found him drenched in rain in front of her house. She could feel her own passion building when he held her close. She knew that if she didn't stop themselves, there would be no doubt in her mind that they would wake up in each other's arms this morning, naked. And it scared her. She had never slept with anyone else but Steve. Somehow she knew that Nathan would be nothing like Steve and it both gave her a thrill and scared her at the same time. She didn't want to seem inadequate compared to the other girls that he had bedded. At the same time, she couldn't get out the image of Steve forcing himself on her out of her mind.

With a loud sigh, she got up. She was on her way to her bedroom, deciding that sleeping her troubles away was the best thing for her to do that night, when her cell phone rang. Like the few times before, it was an unknown number. She hesitated before picking it up.

"Hello? she said. Her greeting was met with silent. "Who's this?" Again there was silence. She waited for a few seconds before hanging up although she couldn't tear her eyes away from the cell phone in her hand. Feeling completely frustrated with herself, she made her way to her bedroom, undressed herself and jumped into bed. She pulled the covers and curled like a ball, grateful for the comfort that her warm bed offered and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. A few minutes later, exhaustion finally took over her and she fell asleep.

She fell into a dream again. This time her vision was clouded by a sea of mist, obstructing her view although she could make out the shadow of a man in front of her.

"Hello? Who's there?" she asked in fear. "Nathan?" she asked hopefully.

The faceless man turned around, revealing his true self. "Hoping to see your loverboy I see," Joe said menacingly and came closer to her.

"Joe," her voice came out in trembles. She backed away slowly, readying herself to run if need be. But he was too fast for her. Before she knew it, he had her by the neck. She tried to struggle free but he was too strong.

"I'm gonna get you Haley. You can run, but you won't get very far. I'll find you wherever you are. And when I do, you're gonna wish you had died along with Steve. You remember Steve don't you. The guy you murdered!"

"Get away from her you bastard!" She suddenly saw Joe being pulled back by another man. Wrenching herself free she could see that Joe was gone, only to be replaced by Steve.

"Steve," she whispered.

"Hi Haley," he said. "You can wake up now."

"Maybe I don't want to," she said. "My life is a neverending nightmare anyway," she muttered bitterly.

Steve shook his head. "Not anymore. You have another man in your life now. A man who loves you the way that you deserve to be loved. Give him a chance Haley."

"Will I see you again?" she asked.

He smiled. "I'll always be with you Hales. I promise." With that last promise he was gone.

She woke up in a sea of sweat, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, telling herself that it was only a bad dream. She forced herself out of bed and grabbed her phone, dialing the first number on her mind.

Nathan woke to the sound of his phone and muttering curses, glanced at the alarm clock on the table next to his bed. _2.31 a.m._ "Hello?" he said groggily. He immediately sat up at the sound of her voice. "Haley? What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked suddenly feeling wide awake.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to hear your voice," she lied.

He threw back his covers jumped out of bed. "Do you want me to come over?" he asked and was immediately answered by a stream of protests. "Don't hang up," he said. "I'll be there in ten minutes," he said, ignoring her protests.

He found himself on her doorsteps eight minutes later and knocked impatiently on her door. "Haley?" The door creaked open and much to his relief, he saw that she was okay. The whole drive he thought that something bad had happened to her. He gathered her in his arms. "Hey, you," he said.

"Nathan, you didn't need to come all the way over. I'm fine," she said as she closed her eyes, leaning her head against his chest.

"I wanted to. I haven't seen you all day today. I've missed you. Have you been avoiding me?" he asked playfully and pulled away and placed his palms on her face. He bent his head and gave her a lingering kiss, sending shivers right down to her toes.

"I'm sorry Nathan," she said when they finally pulled apart. "I haven't been avoiding you. I promise."

"Come here," he said and led her to the couch, pulling her down so that she sat on her lap. She blushed furiously at their closeness. She was still trying to get used to their relationship and Nathan was all about closeness and intimacy.

"What's on your mind?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her small waist.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He looked at her intently. "Come on Hales. You said you couldn't sleep. Something must be bothering you. Want to share it with me?"

She hesitated before finally admitting, "I keep having these nightmares about Steve and Joe." She waited for him to dismiss it but it didn't come.

"What kind of nightmares?" he asked instead.

"The usual, Joe chasing me telling me he'd kill me," she said and tried to make a joke out of it although it fell flat. He searched her face, noticing the worry lines that had started to form on her usually calm face. "It's nothing. They're just nightmares right?"

"Yeah," he said although he didn't sound too convinced. "Hey, do you want something to drink? Coffee? Hot chocolate?" he asked. He was just about to get up when she restrained him.

"No, don't go. Stay with me. Please," she pleaded. He happily complied and pulled her close to him again, drinking her scent.

"I'm right here," he said soothingly and traced her face with his fingers. They stared at each other and as if on autopilot they drew closer. Nathan stopped short, their lips almost touching. He wondered if it was the right thing to do although all he wanted to do right then was to kiss her senseless. His worries went right out of the window when she made the move, placing her soft lips on his. She heard him draw his breath and heard him mutter, "Hales..." before crushing her lips with his.

He tasted her and even that wasn't enough. He wanted all of her. He wanted to show her how she should be touched. He wanted to show her that she needn't be afraid anymore. And yet he didn't want to rush her. Every cell in his body sang with each flicker of her tongue. Before he could stop himself he pushed her gently on the sofa and was relieved when she didn't protest.

She let him kiss him. God she needed that kiss. She felt his fingers on her robe, gently peeling the silky material apart. She wanted to stop him although every inch of her body was screaming for his touch. She closed her eyes when she felt his lips on her neck and let out an involuntary sigh. Taking it as a sign of encouragement, Nathan peeled her robe off her shoulders, revealing her lacy chemise. He let out a groan as he took in the sight.

"God, you're unbelievably sexy," he said hoarsely. She jerked up as if suddenly realizing what they were doing, and tried to cover herself up. "Hey," he said softly as he stilled her hands. "There's nothing wrong with what we're doing Haley," he said, noticing her hesitancy.

"It's been so long," she said.

"I know," he said. "Just say the word and we'll stop. I promise." She nodded and he kissed her again, pouring his whole heart in that single kiss. "I love you Hales," he whispered.

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes when she heard those words. "I love you too Nathan," she said as she felt the salty liquid starting to trickle down her cheeks. She felt him kiss them away and in that moment, she gave herself to him. She let him carry her into her bedroom and felt him gently lay her down on her feet. He then peeled her robe off and she closed her eyes as she felt the silky garment slip to the floor. He felt her tremble slightly and smiled before gently pushing her to the bed. He towered over her and slowly traced his fingers on her face before planting kisses all over her face. Another sigh came out of her mouth and he smiled. He then let his fingers trail between her breasts, stopping short when he felt her chemise, obstructing his path. His eyes never left hers as he slipped the garment off her shoulders and pulled it down, flinging it away. He drew a sharp intake of breath at the view.

"You're beautiful," he whispered and slowly bent down his head, his lips claiming one nipple, making her gasp. He felt her fingers travel to his chest, grabbing hold of it. He prised her fingers away and took of his shirt, revealing his chiseled body. She opened her eyes and let her fingers trace his body. This time it was his turn to gasp, her touch felt like fire on his body. Her hands trailed down to his jeans and she looked at him with eyes filled with uncertainty. He nodded in encouragement and she fumbled with the button securing his jeans in place. He couldn't wait any longer and helped her unzip his jeans and threw it at the foot of her bed, leaving him with only his boxers on. She could see that he was hard and felt a blush creeping up her face. He kissed her tenderly. "I won't hurt you," he promised. She nodded and was soon gasping for air when she felt his finger trail down to her already wet centre. He closed his eyes as he felt her wetness, feeling as if he would cum right there and then, but he held himself back.

"Nathan..." his name fell out of her lips in ragged whisper as she felt him slip his finger inside of her. He groaned out loud when he felt her juices trickling down his finger and he thrusted in and out of her in slow motion, drawing more gasps from her.

She couldn't believe how much she wanted him right now. She had denied herself of this pleasure for so long. She struggled with his boxers and when he was free of it, she grabbed his hardness, making him groan even louder.

"Haley, I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned and prised her hand away, putting her pleasure first before him. He continued with his fingering motion and bit back a smile when she arched her back in ecstasy. He couldn't believe how passionate in bed she was and silently cursed Steve for treating her so badly. In a few moments, he felt her shudder as she reached her peak, his finger still inside her. He could see the beads of sweat already forming on her forehead and placed his hardened erection at her entrance. He kissed her, tracing his tongue on hers, suckling her, tasting her.

He entered her with ease, drawing another gasp from her and heard himself emit a low groan. This was where he belonged, he thought as they moved together, their bodies totally in sync. She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched her back, pulling him closer to her. He bit his lips and closed his eyes, restraining himself from his own pleasure. He drove into her slowly but surely, the room filled with the sounds of their pants.

"God, I love you Haley," he said hoarsely.

Haley tossed her head on the pillow in ecstasy. She was so near the edge. She could feel it. "Let it go Hales," he said in encouragement. And when she did, she screamed his name out loud. He stilled himself for a moment, and kissed her soothingly. "It's okay. Shhhh..." he whispered. He then drove himself into her again, unable to deny himself any longer and in a few seconds, he could feel his spine tingling, a tell tale sign that he was about to fall off the edge.

"Oh my God," he groaned. "Oh God! Haley!" he screamed his name as he exploded inside of her. He collapsed on top of her and felt their hearts beating wildly. He smoothed her hair and kissed her. "I love you so much."

The tears came again. It was never like this with Steve. Never. "I love you too," her voice came out in a choked whisper as she settled in his arms, feeling calm for the first time in a long time.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi guys I'm so sorry for the delay. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you will like it. As usual, review please. Love you guys. Cheers! :)

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Chapter 18

Haley laid still in the dark, her ears perked up for signs that Nathan was awake. She could hear his soft breathing next to him, his arm slumped over her waist, holding her protectively. She blinked her eyes furiously, as if realizing for the first time what they had just done earlier. A feeling of panic came over her suddenly. Her first thought was that she needed to take a shower, as if to wash it all away. It had been a routine for her when she was married to Steve, scrubbing herself raw after he had raped her night after night. She gingerly pushed Nathan's hand away, hoping that he wouldn't wake up. She managed to break free and started to get up when she felt his hand holding her back.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked sleepily. Even in the dark, she could see a hint of smile on his handsome face. She pulled the covers higher so that it shielded her naked body.

"I was just gonna go to the bathroom," she said in a small voice.

"Okay," he said, not suspecting anything. "Hurry back here okay?" he said and slowly let go of her hand. Relieved that he didn't suspect anything, she made her way to the bathroom, waited for a few minutes before turning on the shower. The warm water felt like rain on her body and she closed her eyes. A sound at the door made her open her eyes abruptly

"What are you doing? Haley, it's the middle of the night. Why are you showering?" Nathan asked in bewilderment. She stood rooted to the ground, this time there was nothing to cover her nakedness. She suddenly felt vulnerable standing there in front of him and her hands automatically flew to her chest, covering them from his view. It suddenly dawned on him what she was doing. He took a step closer and turned off the shower. He stood facing her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Is this what you always did after you and Steve...after Steve..." He couldn't bring himself to say the words. She slowly nodded, making him curse inwardly.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she shivered slightly. He quickly took a towel and covered her, rubbing her shoulders to warm her up. "It's just that I always felt...dirty after...you know."

"Do you feel dirty? After what we did?" he asked gently.

She shook her head and he saw a tear sliding down her face. "No, I don't know why I did it. I'm so sorry," she said fearfully.

She expected him to be angry. Instead, he said with a straight face, "well, if you're gonna take a shower, we might as well do it together." He took the towel from her and hung it on the railing. Turning on the shower, he reached for the sponge and gently slid it along her arm. She stood there and felt that her heart was so filled with love for this man, it felt like bursting.

"Nathan-" she started to say.

"Shhh...you don't have to say anything," he said before kissing her softly. "I told you that I'm gonna do anything to make you trust me. I know it's not an easy thing for you to do, but I also told you that I'm here with you, all the way. Besides, if we're gonna go crazy and take a shower in the middle of the night and probably die of pneumonia tomorrow, we might as well have fun doing it," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What do you mean have fun?" she asked curiously, her fears quickly ebbing away with his every touch.

"Guess I'll have to show you," he said and started kissing her neck. He then started washing her arm and slowly made his way to her bare breasts, leaving trails of soapy water on her shoulder. She gasped when he descended to her throbbing centre, unable to believe how much she wanted him, and so soon. She immediately wound her arms around his neck much to his delight. He lifted his lips much to her disappointment but it quickly turned to joy when he claimed her lips. Their tongues intermingled with each other, both probing, both wanting to pleasure each other. His hand trailed down her body to her centre and groaned loudly when he could feel her wetness. He lifted her up and moved to the wall, the contact making them both groan.

"Haley, baby, I can't wait," he said, struggling to get the words out. She opened her eyes and nodded to him, her face smiling. It was all the encouragement he needed as he slid into her. He bit his lips as an inward groan tore out from his throat. They moved together perfectly, both not caring about the water that was trickling down both their bodies. He held her close, making sure that she wouldn't fall. The sounds of their pleasure filled the bathroom as they both came at the same time.

They stayed that way for a moment, both unwilling to let go of each other. Finally, he let her down slowly, a big grin plastered on his face. "So, did you have fun?" he asked playfully before kissing her forehead.

She blushed, her face a crimson red. She had never been like this before, but with Nathan she had become this passionate, wanton woman she never knew she could be.

"You look beautiful when you blush," he commented softly. He then grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her to stop her from shivering. She was ready to leave when he stopped her. "Hey, wait here a minute," he said. He wrapped another towel around his waist and smiling at her upturned questioning face, he lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom. She smiled shyly when he put her down.

"You didn't have to do that. I can walk, you know," she said, although her legs felt as if they would buckle any moment.

"I wanted to," he said solemnly. They dried themselves and he led her back to the bed, wrapping his arms around her. She rested her head comfortably on his chest and listened to his now steady heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," she heard him say.

She looked at him enquiringly. "Whatever for?"

"For everything bad that happened in your life," he said as he thought of her showering ritual. He couldn't believe Steve drove her to do that.

She shook her head slowly. "It wasn't your fault," she said.

"Neither was it yours," he said. "You do know that, right?"

"I do now," she replied. After a few minutes, she said, "you're too good for me Nathan. Everything is going so well and I'm just afraid that all this might end."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm not going anywhere," he said fiercely.

"Promise?"

He kissed her forehead tenderly. "I promise," he said softly. "Try and get some sleep," he said. He looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was nearly five in the morning. He almost felt guilty for keeping her up, knowing that they both had school the next day.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep wriggled herself closer to him. She absently caressed his chest, every once in a while playing with his nipple. He opened one eye and peered at her and felt himself growing hard again. He swore under his breath and kept himself still. Suddenly, he felt her body shake. Looking down, he saw that she was giggling.

"Why you little minx," he growled and promptly rolled on top of her, pinning her down. "I'll teach you to do that." He started kissing her in between her laughter, their voices carried on throughout the night as they pleasured each other, again and again.

* * *

They rode together to Karen's for breakfast and found that Brooke, Lucas, Peyton and Jake were already there. With her hand firmly clasped with Nathan's, Haley approached them. She saw that the four of them were giggling, a smile never leaving each of their faces.

"Hi guys. Good morning," she greeted them and took a seat next to Brooke. "What's going on?"

Brooke looked at her and gasped out loud. "Oh my God! You had sex last night! At least four times!" she exclaimed loudly, making a few heads in the cafe turn. Haley looked horrified as the others, with the exception reacted. He looked at her and shrugged, indicating that he hadn't told anybody about it.

Brooke squealed with delight as she watched Haley's face turn crimson red. "And once in the shower too!" she said a bit quietly this time.

"How did you-" Haley started to say before realizing that she had just admitted to it.

Brooke clapped her hands happily. "Oh my God Haley, you have tell me all about it."

"Brooke!" Haley and Nathan exclaimed at the same time, eliciting muffled laughter from the rest.

"You are incorrigible Brooke Davis Scott," Peyton said in between laughter. She looked at Haley apologetically. "I don't know how she does it, but she gets it right all the time."

"Can we please talk about something else?" Haley asked, her obvious discomfort showing.

Lucas took Brooke's hand in an attempt to calm his wife down. He knew how excited Brooke can be. "Actually we do have news to share with you guys," he said and looked at his smiling wife.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked, grateful that Haley was not embarrassed further. He saw that his four friends were looking excited, which peaked his curiosity even more.

"Well, you know that we've been trying for a baby, and so far it hasn't worked?" Haley and Nathan nodded slowly. "Turns out that I've got a hostile womb, which means that it's gonna pretty difficult for me to conceive."

Haley quickly reached for Brooke's hand. "Oh Brooke, I'm so sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Brooke said. "So anyway, Lucas and I have been talking about it and we decided to try for surrogacy."

"Seriously?" Nathan asked, looking at Lucas for confirmation. Lucas merely nodded and smiled.

"And Peyton has agreed to do it for us!" Brooke announced in glee.

Nathan looked at Peyton in surprise. "Peyton, that's awesome!" he said, meaning every word.

Jake grinned and turned to kiss Peyton. "Yeah, she's pretty awesome isn't she?" Suddenly everybody noticed that Haley was the only one who kept quiet. "Haley?" Jake asked.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nathan asked her, taking her silence as a sign that she was upset with the news.

Haley looked at the rest of them and flashed a big smile while giving Peyton a look of admiration and respect. She realized with a start how blessed she was that she chose the small town of Tree Hill to call home, knowing that she would always have her friends to have her back whenever she needed them. "I am so happy for you Brooke. And Peyton, I think what you're doing is really great," she said.

Peyton shrugged, unsure of how to handle all the praise. "Hey, what are friends for, right?"

"Have you told mom and dad?" Nathan asked as he stole a glance at Karen, manning the counter, apparently oblivious to all the commotion. Either that or she had gotten used to them already.

"Nah," Lucas said. "We're telling them together tonight."

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, good call. You don't want her shrieking her lungs off here." He turned to Haley and said, "we'd better get going if you don't want to be late."

"Okay," she said as she finished off the rest of her coffee, thinking that she would probably need a whole gallon of the dark liquid to keep her going for the rest of the day. As much as she enjoyed last night, she knew that there would be hell to pay later. Just thinking about the night with Nathan sent a delicious shiver down her spine. She blushed as she thought of the things she did that she didn't know she was capable of doing.

"You are so thinking about it," Brooke said knowingly with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Okay, we're getting out of here," Nathan said with a laugh as he led Haley out of the cafe. "Bye mom!" he called out to Karen who waved her goodbye.

"Bye honey," Karen waved back. "Hey why don't you two come over for dinner tonight? Lucas and Brooke will be there."They walked quietly to his car, his hand never leaving hers.

Nathan looked at Haley briefly before turning his attention to his brother and Brooke, thinking that they might see their presence as an intrusion, since they were going to break the pregnancy news to their parents. Lucas nodded with a smile indicating that they didn't mind their presence.

"Okay mom, we'll be there," he hollered back and led Haley out of the door.

"So, were you?" he asked her as soon as they got in his car, his eyes full of laughter.

"Was I what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Thinking about it," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. She refused to look at him which confirmed his suspicion. "You are insatiable, Haley James," he said. "And I am hopelessly in love with you," he declared as he tilted her chin to kiss her. "Hey," he said. "I know I didn't ask you if you were alright with dinner at my parents. Are you?"

She looked thoughtful for a while. "Yeah, sure," she said. "It's been a while since I last saw your dad. He's quite a fun guy actually," she commented.

Nathan grunted in reply. "Yeah, don't go telling that to him. He'll be asking you to play Twister with you next," he warned. Haley shook her head and smiled, thinking that his parents reminded him of her own parents, so full of love and fun. For the second time that day, she was grateful that her choice to leave her hometown led her to Tree Hill. With a contented sigh, she looked out the window and watched as they passed the trees lining the streets, her problems of the past seeming like a mere dot in the distance.

* * *

"Okay kids, eat up before this guy here finishes everything," Karen said as she laid down the tray of pot roast on the table, nudging Dan as she did so.

"Hey!" Dan exclaimed in protest. "That's not fair. It's not my fault that you're the best damn cook in the world."

Karen looked at him sternly. "Dan, what did we say about swearing at the table?" she reprimanded. "And flattery won't get you nowhere Dan Scott. You should know that by now," she said.

"It got me somewhere," he grumbled. "You married me, didn't you?"

Haley bit back her laughter as she watched the exchange while helping herself to the array of food that Karen had prepared. Lucas and Brooke had just broken the news of the pregnancy to Karen and Dan, and true to Nathan's prediction, there was a lot of screaming and shrieking and hugging involved, all of which came from Karen. She decided to take a backseat tonight and be a silent observer to the Scott's family's happiness. She watched Nathan's face light up all night in the company of his family. She saw the pride in Karen's face as she watched over her brood. She saw Dan, well doing what Dan did best, making jokes at the table and cracking everybody up.

"Hey, why didn't you ask Peyton and Jake to join us tonight?" Karen asked Lucas and Peyton. "She is gonna carry your baby after all."

Lucas and Brooke exchanged looks. "Yeah, we thought about that but we didn't have time to run it by you first," Lucas explained.

"Run it by me? Whatever for?" Karen was genuinely perplexed. "You know those two kids don't need my permission to come over. And when have they ever done that anyway?"

Nathan grinned as his mother continued to nag over the absence of Peyton and Jake. Noticing that Haley had been quiet he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "hey, are you okay? You've been quiet."

Haley flashed him a smile. "I'm fine. I'm just enjoying this. Thank you for inviting me," she said.

"Inviting you?" Dan quipped. "Honey, you don't need an invitation to a Scott's family dinner," he said with a smile.

Nathan let out a groan. "Dad, will you stop eavesdropping?" he complained and shook his head. His family could be so unbelievable at times. He gave Haley an apologetic look which made her smile even wider.

"Thanks Mr. Scott," she said shyly.

Karen who was sitting opposite her smiled. "Haley, don't thank us. In fact we should thank you. I haven't seen a smile on Nathan's face for a long time and you're the reason for it. You've made him happy again."

Haley blushed furiously. A moment later she felt Nathan's hand slid on hers under the table. He leaned over to her and said softly, "my mom's right. You do make me happy. How about I make you happy tonight?" he asked suggestively.

"Nathan!" she hissed and blushed even further. She looked around to see if anybody was listening. Thankfully they were wrapped up in their own conversations to notice. Next to her she heard him giggle mischievously. She immediately thought of last night when she had spent her night wrapped in his arms. She had never felt so fulfilled and so loved. Thinking about the way Nathan had touched her sent shivers up and down her spine. She knew what they had done was not an act of lust, it was an intimate moment, the joining of two bodies and two souls in love.

"You're thinking about it, aren't you," she heard him whisper next to her. She decided two could play this game.

"I was thinking about how the sounds you made last night when I sucked on your nipples," she said with a straight face. "And the feel of your hands on my breasts-"

"Mom!" Nathan exclaimed loudly. "I just remembered. Haley and I have somewhere to go tonight," he declared as Haley chuckled. He stared at her and laughed, wishing he could kiss her then and then, knowing that he could love this girl forever, knowing that they were meant to spent the rest of their lives making each other happy.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello people! New chapter's up :). Thanks for your last reviews. They mean the world to me. I hope you'll like this one too. By the way, I've got a new story called "Second Chances" and Chapter 1 is already up. I hope you guys will check it out and let met know what you think. Cheers! Love you guys! ;)

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Chapter 19

Haley sat silently at her desk, watching her students' heads bent down trying to answer the test questions that she had prepared for them. The silence gave her the chance to think about last night. As much as Nathan wanted to get away from the Scott's family dinner and 'do things' to her, they decided to stay, much to her delight. She enjoyed herself tremendously and was grateful that the Scott's family welcomed her with open arms. The one blight of the evening was that there was the mysterious phone call again. As usual when she picked up the phone there was nobody on the other line. She had long decided that this was no ordinary prank call. She decided that she needed to tell somebody about it.

_Flashback_

_She stared at the phone in her hand, a million thought running wild through her head. She had decided to call the call outside on the patio for a bit of privacy. Nathan didn't ask her any questions and joined his family in the living room for a game of Twister, a suggestion which obviously came from Dan, much to his consternation. _

_"Haley? Are you alright?" a voice greeted her from behind. She turned around and came face to face with Dan._

_"Yeah, I'm fine. Aren't you supposed to be in there?" Haley asked distractedly._

_"Nah, they're setting it up. I don't want to get my hands dirty," Dan said with a laugh. He noticed that Haley didn't share his amusement. "Are you sure you're alright? I don't mean to pry but is there a problem? The phone call?" he asked, motioning his head towards the object in her hand. Again it was met by silence. "Haley, you can tell me."_

_She looked into his kind eyes, much like her father's. "I'm sure it's nothing Mr. Scott, but I've been having these weird phone calls. And whenever I answer them, there seem to be nobody on the line. It's just odd," she finally admitted. _

_Dan looked thoughtful for a minute. "Huh, it is odd. But judging from the look on your face, I think there's something more to this. Do you have any idea as to who it might be?"_

_Once again she was torn between telling him. She decided to follow the voice in her head. "There may be somebody. Somebody from my past. But I don't know how he could possibly get my number."_

_Dan looked at her guiltily. "Haley, Nathan told me all about what happened to you back home." He saw the horrified look on her face."And before you go all angry at him, I'm glad he did. Karen and I, well, we think of you as our own daughter. And you know the Scotts, we're protective as hell about our family. So since you're practically family now, it's only natural that Nathan and I are very protective of you. So back to the question of who it might be. You think it might be Joe, don't you?"_

_She looked at him in surprise, which quickly turned to fear. It was bad enough that she thought it might be him, but Dan's suspicion confirmed her fear. Before she could say anything, Nathan appeared with a smile on his face._

_"Hey Dad. Get your butt in there will you? We're starting already." He looked at Haley and winked. "I warned you that this would happen," he said and draped an arm around her neck and pulled her close. _

_"I'm not sure about this," Haley said hesitantly and looked at Dan._

_"About Twister?" Nathan asked.  
_

_Dan put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. With a knowing look he said to her, "you'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."_

_End of flashback_

The shrill sound of the school bell ringing snapped her out of her reverie. She plastered a smile on her face as she collected the test papers from her students.

"Thank you Ms. James."

"See you on Monday, Jasmine."

"Ms. James, you'll be there at the community centre tomorrow, right. Coz I need help with 'Les Miserable'," a student timidly asked, reminding her of her weekly voluntary work.

She smiled. "Yes, Jackson I'll be there," she said reassuringly. She sighed contentedly and watched her students filed out of the classroom. It was always satisfying when a student was so eager to learn. After the last student was gone, the face of Lucas appeared in the doorway.

"Hey Hales," he greeted her.

"Hey Luke, what's up?" She stacked the test papers and stuffed them in her bag, intending to mark them tonight.

"Nothing, just wondering what's up with you." Haley raised her eyebrows. "No, it's just that Nathan has been hogging you since you guys hooked up, which I think it's great-"

Haley smirked. "What do you want Lucas?" she asked with her arms akimbo.

"Okay fine. You caught me," he said with a grimace. "Did Nathan tell you where he hid my diary?"

Haley burst out laughing and looked at him in amusement. "Wait, you have a diary?" she asked with a snicker and shook her head. "What are you, ten in a skirt?"

"Yeah, yeah laugh all you want," he said, clearly not sharing her amusement. "Well, did he?"

"Sorry Luke, he didn't mention anything about a diary. Why do you keep a diary anyway?" she asked.

Lucas looked at her, searching for signs that she was going to make fun of him again, but found none. He ran his fingers through his hair and said, "well, I'm sort of working on a book. More like a side project. Nothing big. And the diary is where I keep my thoughts and ideas."

"You're writing a book?" Haley asked in disbelief. "That's incredible!" Lucas simply shrugged. Seeing that he was really disturbed by Nathan's prank, she said, "I tell you what. I'll try and find out where he hid it okay?"

"Thanks Hales. How are you guys doing anyway? Like I said I haven't seen you much."

"I'm good. I know I've been spending a lot of time with Nathan. It's just that I've spent so much time avoiding my feelings before. I was too wrapped up in my past. I think I owe him this."

He came closer to her. "Haley, you don't owe anybody anything. Actually, you owe it to yourself to be happy, and I know you are. Nathan's a great guy."

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, he is. Anyway, how's Brooke and Peyton. Have you guys seen the doctor about the whole surrogacy?"

Lucas sat in one of the chairs and sighed. "Nope, not yet. We have an appointment next week. It just seems so surreal doing all this."

"Well, do you really want to do this?" she asked and sat next to him.

He flashed a smile at her. "I do. And Brooke really wants this and I'll do anything for my girl."

"Good for you Lucas," she said genuinely. "Oh by the way, I promised Brooke that I'll come over to your house for dinner so could you tell her that I'll be there at 7?"

"You are? Why?"

"Well, it's been a while since us girls hung out and since you, Nathan and Jake are gonna go watch a basketball game tonight, we thought we'd have a girl's night in."

"Girls' night in huh? Yeah, I bet you're gonna bitch about us guys while you're at it too."

Haley laughed. "Hey, what's a girls' night in without some bitching? Okay, I gotta go. I promised Nathan that I would meet him after school," she said with a wink and left. Lucas shook his head as he watched her leave. He was happy for the both of them. Haley proved to be a great friend to him and she seemed really happy,a far cry from when she first arrived in Tree Hill. But through that happiness, sometimes he swore he could catch a glimpse of worry in her eyes.

* * *

Haley watched in amusement as Nathan sulked all the way home. "So, are you excited about the game?" she asked while biting back a laugh.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. He kept his eyes focused on the road, forcing himself not to look at her, not even a glance.

"Oh come on Nathan, it's only gonna be three hours at most. And you're coming over to my place later, right?"

"Hmph," he grunted.

"Ok fine, I won't come over. Maybe I'll spend the night at Brooke's tonight," she suggested.

He turned his head and looked at her. "What? No!" he choked. "What do you mean spend the night at Brooke's?"

"Well, you seemed hell bent on not talking to me, so I figured that one night away would be good for you. You know for you to cool down. Or I can sleep alone tonight. It's quite warm tonight. Maybe I should sleep naked," she said thoughtfully.

She felt the car swerve to the roadside and screeched to a halt. "You're evil," Nathan said, to which she just laughed. "Why do I have to watch the game with the guys anyway? Why can't I watch it with you?"

"First of all, your brother has been complaining that he doesn't see you enough these days. Secondly, don't you think we should spend some time apart? Even if it's just one night?"

He glared at her silently. "Why would I want to be apart from you?" he asked.

"I don't know. I just don't want you to feel that you're obliged to be with me 24-7." As soon as those words came out of her mouth, she knew that it was a mistake.

"Is that how you feel? Like you're obliged to spend time with me?" he asked angrily.

_Okay, this is not going well,_ she thought. "No, I didn't mean it that way. I just-"

"Just what? Haley, I'm not some puppy that needs to be taken care of. There is no obligation at all," he hissed, anger evident in his eyes at her suggestion. She recoiled in her seat at his reaction. She had never seen him this angry. For a moment she was reminded of Steve. She unbuckled her seat back and opened the door. "Where are you going?" Nathan asked. "Haley!" He got out of the car and followed her. "Haley, wait!" he said and grabbed her hand.

"You're obviously angry so I'm just gonna walk home," she stammered as she tried to release herself from his grasp.

"Haley, wait," he said softly. "Please," he pleaded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you." In the dark he couldn't make out her pale face, but he could tell that she was afraid, and that didn't sit well with him.

"Hales, are you afraid of me?" he asked. "Hey, look at me," he said and pulled her so she could face him.

She gave him a forced smile and said, "let's just go. You're gonna be late for the game." He looked at her for the longest time after which he reluctantly let go of her hand and watched her walk back to the car. They rode silently and he silently cursed himself for being such a child. The truth was he couldn't stand to be apart from her, not even for minute. Even at school he would be counting the minutes until they could meet again. He stole a glance at her. He felt as if he should say something. But he bit his tongue and watched her stare out of the window silently.

The car came to a stop in front of her house and she got out. He followed her silently and watched her unlock the door. She then turned around and said, "well, I'll emmm...I'll see you later."

"Haley," he said softly and took her hand. He could sense that she was retreating back to her protective shell. "Can we talk? Please." He felt relieved when she nodded. "Look, I'm sorry if I was harsh earlier. It's been a long day and all I wanted was to spend the night with you. But I've already promised the guys. And I'm sorry if I scared you. I never meant to. Haley, I made a promise to never hurt you, and I stand by that promise."

She looked at him, his eyes filled with love and sincerity. "I'm sorry too. I just thought that it would be nice if you watched the game with Luke and Jake."

He folded her in his arms and felt her rest her head on his chest. "You're too good for me. I'm gonna miss you tonight," he said.

"Really?" she asked with a smile.

"You bet I am," he said with a laugh. "I love you Haley," he said more seriously.

"I love you too," she replied.

"Well, you'd better." He grinned and kissed her, and for the millionth time that time he wished that they could spend the night alone together.

"Oh by the way, Lucas was asking me about his diary that you stole," she said off-handedly as they walked back to the car.

"What diary?" he asked. She searched his face to see if he was merely pretending, but to her surprise he genuinely looked as if he didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about. "He has a diary?" He started laughing. "Man, of all the lame things the guy does, a diary tops the list."

Haley made a face. "So I take it you didn't steal it from him?" she asked dryly.

"Why would I steal a lame diary for?" he asked still chuckling.

She shook her head. "Never mind. Forget it." At times she wondered about how different Nathan was from Lucas. But one thing the two brothers had in common, the knew how to treat their girls right.

* * *

Brooke sniggered as she combed through the pages of the black book in her hand. "Can you believe Lucas keeps a diary? It's like I don't even know the guy." Peyton scooted over to her to take a look.

"Wow, the guy really knows how to write," she mused as she read the lines. Haley sat watching them and shook her head.

"You guys are unbelievable. Especially you Brooke. Lucas thought Nathan stole it from you when all the while it was you," she said. "And you shouldn't read people's diaries," she admonished.

"Yeah, whatever," Brooke said dismissively. "Wait till you see what he wrote about you," she said and winked at Peyton.

"He did what? Give me that!" Haley snatched to book from Brooke's hand and started reading. "He described me as mysterious and sad," she started reading. "And sad, like a tortured soul with a hidden past." She handed it back to Brooke and frowned. "Did you guys used to think of me that way?"

"Oh yeah, totally," Peyton said and nodded her head. "I still do if you ask me."

"Really?"

Peyton looked stricken at her confession. "I'm sorry Hales. Sometimes I see you space off for no reason." She saw that Haley was upset and said, "oh honey, I know it's not easy to let go of the past, especially one like yours. It's gonna take time but you'll get there." She nudged Brooke for support.

"Oh yeah, you'll definitely get there," Brooke said before returning to read the diary.

After a moment of silence, Haley finally spoke up. "I still dream of Steve and Joe sometimes," she admitted. "And sometimes I feel like I'm trying Nathan's patience and I'm afraid that one day he's gonna give up on me or something," she said thinking about their argument earlier.

"Are you kidding me? That guy is totally head over heels in love with you, in case you haven't noticed," Brooke said and put down the diary. "One thing you gotta know about that brother in law of mine is that he doesn't give up easily. Always been like that ever since we were kids," she continued. "And I bet the guy knows how to steam up the bedroom," she said as she looked at Haley and winked.

Haley immediately turned pink at her statement. "Okay, anyway, who's hungry? I'm gonna call for some pizza," she said to change the subject.

"Ooooohhh look who's blushing!" Peyton said gleefully. "So tell us, what's he like in bed?" Brooke immediately forgot about the diary and looked at Haley with interest.

"Guys! Can we talk about something else?" Haley said pleadingly. Sex was one of thing she wasn't comfortable discussing.

"Oh come on Hales. Just a tiny bit of information," Brooke begged. "I'll tell you how Lucas is in bed if you tell us about Nathan," she offered with a glint in her eyes.

Peyton groaned. "Ewww Brooke, that's gross! The guy is like a brother to me!"

Brooke rolled her eyes at Peyton. "And why are you asking anyway? It's not like you haven't slept with Nathan when you guys were dating."

"Hey, that was when we were young and stupid. I bet he's picked up a thing or two since then," Peyton said. "Come on Hales."

"You guys are just too much," Haley said although she was grinning. "I'm not talking about that, and you're so not talking about how Lucas is in bed," she said especially to Brooke.

Brooke just shrugged and said to Peyton, "Oh well. It was worth a shot." She then said defeatedly, "all right, let's order pizza. Party pooper," she said to Haley who merely laughed. She was glad that she decided to do this with the girls. It was exactly what she needed to get her mind of her suspicions about the mysterious phone calls.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi guys. Sorry about the long wait. Some of you have written to me and have been asking me to update this story. Rest assured that I'm not abandoning this story at all. So here's the next chapter. I hope you'll like it. Cheers! :)

* * *

**

Chapter 20

Haley sat with her feet up on the coffee table watching the telly while waiting for Nathan to come by. For someone who didn't want to spend the night away from her, he was definitely late, she mused silently. Just then the doorbell rang. She practically skipped all the way to the door. She had to admit that as much as she enjoyed herself with the girls tonight, she couldn't wait to see him. She opened the door and almost laughed out loud. Lucas had Nathan by the collar and looked at her with an amused look on his face.

"He's all yours Hales. Geez, you should have heard him whining justnow. If I didn't know better, I would think that my brother was a girl. What did you do to her Hales?" Lucas asked with a grin. He let go of Nathan's collar and practically shoved him into Haley's arms.

"Nathan," a bemused Haley said. "Were you really whining?"

He looked at her sheepishly and threw a glance at his brother. "Actually no. He was having so much fun that he didn't want to go home yet," Lucas admitted before letting go of Nathan's collar. Haley laughed out loud.

"See! I told you that you would have fun with the guys," she said triumphantly.

Nathan turned to face Lucas and bumped fists with him. "Hey, thanks Luke. We should do this again."

Lucas rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, sure." He then gave a knowing wink to Haley. "Don't wear him out tonight Hales. He's got a lot of work to do with the team next week." Haley blushed which made him laugh a lot harder. "See you guys later."

Haley closed the door quietly. She suddenly felt Nathan's strong arms around her waist. A second later she could feel him nuzzling at her neck. "I've missed you," he whispered in her neck. He felt an automatic arousal as soon as his lips touched her warm skin.

"Oh yeah?" she asked smiling. "So you really had fun?" He kissed her upturned face and smiled.

"I did. Thank you for talking me into it. So what did you girls do?" he asked and pulled her to the couch. He sat back and let Haley place her feet on his lap.

"Nothing much. Turns out it was Brooke who stole Lucas's diary. Sorry," she said sheepishly.

He grinned in amusement. "See? Told you I didn't have anything to do with it. So what's in it?" he asked curiously. "And please don't tell me you didn't read it, coz I know you did," he continued, catching her completely off guard.

Her shoulders dropped. She sighed and said, "ok fine. I read it. Lucas is a pretty good writer by the way."

"Yeah, he was always a nerd in school," he said with a smile. He always said that the best birthday present that I got for him is a book by John Steinback. If you ask me, I can't even remember what the book is called," he admitted. "Something about grapes."

"The Grapes of Wrath?" she guessed with a hint of a smile.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Let me guess. You were one of those kids that wouldn't be caught dead with a book in his hands," she said flatly.

"That's me," he said a bit too proudly. "I was too much into basketball to care." Once again she was amazed at how different the two brothers were. In fact she realized with a start that she had more in common with Lucas than she had with Nathan. She grew quiet.

"What's with the look?" Nathan asked, noticing the sudden change.

"What look?"

"The look that says that you're thinking about something."

She took a moment to answer his question. "We're different, you and I."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. It just occurred to me that I have more in common with Lucas."

He looked at her carefully. "Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know," she said. "It's just...it's nothing. Forget I said it," she said dismissively.

"No, let's not forget it. It obviously got you thinking." An uncomfortable silence ensued. "Okay, let me tell you one thing. How different you are from me, that's what makes me love you. Me and Rachel, we were so similar in so many ways. I guess that's what made her stray. She wanted somebody different," he explained wryly.

* * *

"So are you and Jake ready to go to the hospital with me and Lucas tomorrow?" Brooke asked Peyton tentatively after Haley had left. They had not talked about it much since Peyton had agreed to be a surrogate mother. Brooke figured that she probably needed time to adjust to the idea.

Peyton looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, totally ready. I'm kinda excited actually," she admitted. Immediately Brooke felt a rush of relief wash over her.

"Really?" she asked. "Coz I was afraid that you might think this is all too weird."

Peyton took her hand and looked into her eyes. "Brooke, you're my best friend in the whole world and I wouldn't do this for anybody else but you. Trust me when I say I'm excited for you and Lucas. This is gonna be an amazing thing for you and me both. Just promise me one thing," she said.

"Anything."

"That you'll make me godmother or I swear to God I'm gonna kill you with my bare hands," she threatened.

Brooke let out a loud laugh. "Of course you're gonna be godmother." She pulled Peyton into a hug. "Thank you Peyton."

"Are you gonna be all teary again? Coz if you are, I'm out of here," Peyton said with a muffled voice.

Brooke pushed her away and smacked her on the arm. "Way to ruin the moment, bitch," she said playfully although true to Peyton's prediction, she was wiping away her tears.

"You are such a weepie!" Peyton exclaimed with a laugh.

"And you have heart made of stone," Brooke said and stuck out her tongue. The two friends fell about laughing, knowing that their mutual decision was going to bring them closer than ever.

* * *

Haley snuggled in Nathan's arms as they watched the telly in silence. For some reason Haley had insisted on watching the reruns on "Boy Meets World." Although he had laughed at her choice, he went along with it. Funnily enough, it was more interesting than he cared to admit, at least not to her face.

"I used to love watching this when I was a kid, and my mom would come in and bring me a mug of hot chocolate and some cookies," she said reminiscing. Oddly enough, talking about her parents did not hurt her as much as it did before. She realized that it was probably because she now had someone who could truly love her, and the thought filled her with such warmth.

"Tell me more about you when you were a little girl," Nathan said as he looked down at her. He kissed the top of her head, loving the smell of her shampoo. Haley smiled.

"I was such a Daddy's girl," she admitted. "He would do anything I asked him to do, and although my mom disapproved, sometimes she indulged me as well."

"Why, you were a spoiled little kid," he said in amusement.

"I guess you can call me that. But I also knew my limits. We were getting by the best way we knew how. My mom stopped working when she found out she had cancer. She was a teacher too and as much as she loved teaching, she wanted to spend her time with me. I guess you can say that she knew that she didn't have much time in this world at that time." She fell silent. "My dad, well he was my hero. He had his own garage and people liked him, so they brought their cars to him whenever there was a problem. He would close his garage just before dinner and he would come home and make sure that we all sat down together. He did plumbing on the side to pay my mom's medical bills."

He pulled her closer and kissed her again. "They sound really awesome. I wish I could have met them."

She looked at him and gave him a small smile. "They would have loved you."

He asked a question that was bothering him. "Did they love Steve?" he asked with a twinge of jealousy.

She took her time in answering. "They did. But then again, they died before they found out what he was doing to me. Sometimes I feel like I've been a letdown to them."

"How do you mean?"

"The old me wouldn't have let Steve walk all over me. That wasn't how my parents raised me. I used to be this confident no-nonsense girl and somehow when I met Steve, I lost that in me."

"Haley, you were in love," he said although it pained him to get the words out. "Sometimes people change because of love."

She sat up. "Yeah, well after what happened I made a promise to myself never to let myself do that again," she said determinedly. Nathan fixed a stare at her. It all made sense to him. He saw the fire in her eyes when he first met her. He now understand why she shied away from him. Why she shied away from love. She had learned that although love could make you feel delirious, like you were on top of the world, she also learned that love could bring you pain. And she learned it the hard way. But he also knew that he was the one who could make her happy for the rest of her life. She was his life now. He remembered how empty he felt before she came to Tree Hill. How she had made him feel alive again. The sound of her voice, her gentle kiss, the way her lips turned upward when she smiled. They were all he needed. She was all he needed. He didn't think that he could fall in love again so soon after Rachel, but he did. He felt an dull ache in his chest thinking of what he would do if he lost her. He touched her cheek softly.

"Hey," he said in soft voice. She turned to face him. Her face full of innocence.

"Hmmm?" He caught her lips in a swift move, catching her by surprise. As soon as she got over her shock, she kissed him back with the same intensity, running her tongue in his mouth, making him moan. He hand shifted from her face to her neck, pulling her closer. He couldn't breath but it didn't matter. She was his air. They finally pulled apart, both panting. He looked at her now swollen lips, thinking that all he wanted to do right now was kiss her again. Their faces were inches apart, their breaths intermingling with each other.

"I love you so much Hales," he confessed in a strained voice. He didn't know what came over him. But one thing he was sure of was how we felt. "I'm saying it to you now and I'm gonna keep saying it every single day that we're together," he continued. "Promise me that you will never change. Not for me, not for anyone," he said.

"Nathan, I don't understand."

"Just promise me," he urged.

"I promise," she said and looked into her eyes. "I love you too Nathan," she said with a smile. He closed his eyes and took her words in. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly and touched his clean shaven face.

"I've never felt better," he said before pulling her again for another searing kiss. He could never get enough of her. He closed his eyes as their lips touched. She felt his tongue at the entrance of her mouth, urging her to part her lips. She did so willingly and welcomed him. She sighed as she surrendered herself to him. They kissed passionately. He felt an urgency within him that he had never felt before. He knew that he had to have her.

"Haley." His voice came out in ragged breaths. She looked into his eyes and understood immediately. She nodded silently and got up and took his hand, inviting him to do the same. He reached up and took it and before she knew it, he had swept her up in his strong arms, making her squeal in delight. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments and he kissed her gently before carrying her to her bedroom. Kicking the door gently with his right foot, he strode to the bed and gently let her down. They stood facing each other at the side of the bed. She could feel that there was something different this time. She watched him take his shirt off, revealing his well built body. His eyes never left hers as he lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it on the floor. His heart was hammering in his chest, the same way it did everytime they made love. He kissed her neck and she closed her eyes. She felt him leaving a trail of kisses all the way down until he reached the top of her mounds. He watched her chest rising and falling with every breath she took. He looked up and captured her lips again while his hands fumbled with her bra clasp. When he was finally able to release it, he lifted his lips and looked into her eyes.

"I want you so much right now Hales," he said raggedly.

"I know," she said. She took his hand and placed it on one of her breasts. She closed her eyes as she felt her warm hand on her nipple. She felt his fingers pinching it, making her gasp. Her hand flew to his jeans and she struggled to unzip it. He reluctantly left her nipple and helped her. He wriggled out of his jeans, leaving him in his boxers, his erection already forming a tent. He did the same with hers, leaving her completely naked before him. He knew that if it was up to him, he would be inside her there and then but he waited. He wanted to prolong their lovemaking tonight as long as he could.

"You look amazing," he said, his voice coming out in a whisper.

"I'm yours," she said.

Those two words undid him. "God Haley." He pushed her back gently on the bed. Towering over her he kissed her again. Their tongues danced with each other as his fingers found their way again to her nipple. She let out a moan as he tweaked and teased it with his expert hand. He bent down and caught her hard nipple in his mouth, this time making her gasp loudly. His other hand trailed to her other breast and slowly massaged it. She wriggled and wreathed underneath him. He knew that she was becoming impatient and he snickered inwardly. His mouth finally left her nipple. She held back her disappointment. It didn't last long as she felt him give the same attention to her other nipple. She ran his fingers through his hair and pulled her closer. He straddled her as she moaned and called out his name. He lifted his head and caught her lips again. He explored the depths of her mouth, his tongue mating with hers and she whimpered against his lips, feeling all the heat in her body rush to one place. His hand smoothed down on her flat stomach and trailed down further until he reached her centre. She gasped as she felt his fingers unfold her.

"God you're so wet," he said and slid a finger in her wet centre. She gasped and arched her back. God he loved the sounds she made. He thrust her finger in and out making her gasp further. She spread her legs to give him more access. She moaned over and over, tossing her head from side to side, thrusting her hips against his hand, begging for more with every motion. He knew that she was so close to the edge. His movements grew faster until he heard her call out his name as she reached her climax. He stilled his finger within her as he waited for her to calm down from her high. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled.

"I'm not done yet," he whispered in her ear. She gave hima shy smile as she pulled down his boxers, finally freeing his aching member. She gently massaged it, making him moan with pleasure. He wanted to take his time pleasuring her, but it quickly looked as if his plan would have to be abandoned. With a grunt, he placed himself at her entrance. He knew that he couldn't hold on much longer. He looked deeply into her eyes before entering her with ease. They moved together in unison, his eyes never leaving her face. He watched her close her eyes as he rode her.

"God Nathan," she moaned. He held back his own pleasure. He watched her face contort in pleasure and felt her wall tighten. He wanted to exploder there and then but he restrained himself. He thrusted into her one last time and heard her call out his name in ecstacy.

"Open you eyes," he said softly. She did so and kissed her tenderly. He waited a few moments before moving within her again, this time more urgently. He closed his eyes as she matched his every move. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, with one sharp cry he exploded within her. He rolled to his side, taking her along with him. He wasn't ready for them to be apart yet.

He smoothed her tendrils from her face, her locks wet from her sweat. "You have no idea how much I love you," he whispered hoarsely.

"I think I may have an idea," she said with a smile.

Something tore within him. He had to hear her say it. "Tell me that you love me too," he said.

She caressed his cheek tenderly. "You know I do."

"No, I want to hear you say it. Please," he begged.

She watched his face and felt an ache in her heart. A pain she recognized as an overwhelming love. "I love you Nathan Scott. More than you'll ever know." He closed his eyes as a tear slid down his face. He had never cried for a girl before, and yet he was doing just that.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

He shook his head and smiled while wiping his tears away. "Nothing's wrong. In fact, everything's just perfect," he said. "I need you to know that I'll never leave you."

She watched his face intently and nodded. Something in his voice made her believe every word he said. And she was going to hold on to that for as long as she could.


	21. Chapter 21

**Show me some love guys! Cheers! xoxo

* * *

**

Chapter 21

Lucas winced in pain as Brooke clutched his hand too tightly for the hundredth time. It was a Saturday morning they were at the hospital with Jake and Peyton. "Geez Brooke, do you really have to?" he asked.

She suddenly realized what she was doing and let go of his hands. She grinned sheepishly and said, "sorry, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to. Does it hurt?" she babbled.

"Okay, stop right there," Lucas said and laughed. "First of all, yes it hurt but I think I'll live although the next time I throw the ball and it doesn't go into the hoop, you are to blame. Second of all, get a grip on yourself woman! Everything's gonna be okay. I can feel it, so stop worrying."

She contemplated this for a few moments. "You're right," she said and started pacing. She stole a glance at the examination room and couldn't help but wonder if Peyton was ever going to come out. Before she had time to voice her thoughts aloud, Peyton appeared with smile on her face.

"Hey, Brooke. How's it going?" she said cheerfully with Jake grinning at her side.

Brooke raised her eyebrows and said dryly, "hey Brooke how's it going? I'm freaking out here! What do you think?" She threw her hands up in the air to prove her point. "Well, how did it go? What did the doctor say? What happened?"

Peyton exchanged looks with Jake and Lucas before breaking up in a peal of laughter. "Whoa, you really have to calm down."

"That's what I told her!" Lucas exclaimed adamantly.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Brooke said and covered her mouth. A second later, she said, "well?"

Jake grinned and said, "the doctor said that Peyton's in perfect health and there shouldn't be any problem for the procedure. Actually the doc wants to see the four of us right now."

Brooke's heart skipped a beat when she heard the news. "Oh thank God," she said gratefully. She then looked at the three of them. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? Come on!" she exclaimed before practically dragging Lucas to the doctor's room.

Half an hour later, four beaming faces emerged from the doctor's room. Everything was going so well. They would have to come again next week for the implantation process but it didn't matter to them. All that mattered was their friendship and the lengths that they were willing to go to for each other.

* * *

"Hey, have you heard from them yet?" Nathan asked as he poured a mound of cereal into his bowl. He did a double take when he saw Haley's dishevelled face as she poured coffee into their mugs. He gave an inward smile at the sight. Even when she just woke up she looked beautiful in his eyes.

"No, I haven't," she said. "And why are you smiling?" she asked as she sat down next to him. He had spent the night again at her place, which was fast becoming a habit. It was as if he couldn't stand being apart from her. He had to have her to wake up to every morning. It wasn't just sex to him, although he was constantly amazed that not a night went by when they didn't make love. But even more than that, it was a connection that they both shared. They could be talking all night long about nothing and everything.

He shook his head. "You look hot," he commented. She ran her fingers through her unkept hair nervously.

"No, I don't. I look horrible. I should probably take a shower." She started to get up when Nathan's hand stopped her.

"Wait for me. Let me finish my cereal and then I'll join you," he said mischievously.

She laughed. "Nathan! Don't you think last night was enough?"

He shook his head again. "Na-ah. It's never enough with you baby," he said and kissed her full on the lips. "It's never enough," he said again softly. He could already feel his erection growing, his bowl of cereal already forgotten.

She giggled against his lips. "Okay, down boy. We'd better hurry or we're gonna be late," she said, referring to her tutoring at the community centre. Nathan had no practice today and he was supposed to send her to the centre.

He groaned in frustration. "Couldn't you make up an excuse not to go?"

"I already promised Timmy that I'd help him with his Math. Now hurry up or I'm showering without you."

She thought he couldn't bolt from the chair fast enough, which made her laugh hysterically. It amazed her that Steve had never made her laugh this way. Even though Steve's death was horrible, she couldn't help but think that it was a blessing for her that she had met Nathan.

* * *

Haley beamed when she saw Timmy's face light up like a bulb as he finally understood the equation.

"Wow Ms. James! I didn't know it was that easy. Thanks! You're the bomb!" he exclaimed in delight.

"Emm...the bomb?" Haley said with a laugh. "I take that as a compliment."

"It is. Trust me," Timmy said. "So are you gonna give me an A in the trig test next week?"

"Only if you deserve it," she said pointedly. "Okay, that's it for today. I'll see you in class on Monday. And no coming in late this time ok?"

"Okay Ms. James," he said sheepishly and started to gather his books. After he had gone Haley scanned the community centre for signs of Nathan. He had dropped her off and had gone to hang out at Karen's. With a frown of dismay, she saw that he was nowhere to be seen. I'll guess I'll just have wait a bit, she thought. Her students were starting to leave one by one. Her brow furrowed as she realized that she would soon be left alone.

"Do you need some company while you wait for the Coach?"

She turned around and saw Timmy standing behind her. "No, it's okay Timmy. You should probably go home. I'll be fine."

He looked uncertain for a minute. Then his face lit up. "Maybe you can help me some more with my trig. I've done some exercise. Maybe you can show me if I've done it wrong."

She had to smile. With a nod, she said, "okay, show me what you'v got."

The shadow lurking outside the door of the centre let out a low groan of frustration. "Damn it!" he muttered. "Just when I thought she'd be alone." He had been watching her since Nathan had dropped her off and had watched with disgust the way they were kissing before they said their goodbyes. "Well, it wouldn't be too long now till it's me that you're kissing," he said with a sly smile before disappearing.

Soon after, Nathan arrived and ran into the gym. "Haley!" he yelled out and looked around the now empty gym. "Where are you?" he muttered to himself. He knew he was late but he was too caught up talking with Karen at the café that he lost track of the time.

He was beginning to think that something had happened to her when he heard voices behind him. He turned around and saw Haley with Timmy, both of them smiling with an ice cream cones in their hands. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi Coach," Timmy greeted him.

"Hey Timmy," he answered. To Haley he said, "where were you?"

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. "I got bored of waiting for you so me and Timmy went to get ice cream."

"Yeah Coach," Timmy said solemnly. "You shouldn't have kept her waiting for so long. Somebody might just swoop her away. Like me."

"Aren't you a little young?" Nathan asked.

"That may be so but I know how to charm."

Haley burst out laughing when she saw Nathan's expression. "What have you been teaching him Hales?"

She patted Timmy's back. "You should go home Timmy. Thanks for keeping me company. And don't forget to practice on those math problems." She waved Timmy goodbye and followed Nathan back to his car. "What took you so long?" she asked as she leaned against the car.

"I'm so sorry but I was talking to Karen and just forgot about the time. Why? Did you miss me?" he asked mischievously and leaned over her, his face just inches away from her.

She grinned. "What do you think?"

"I think you did," he said and brushed her lips with his. Almost immediately he could hear her moan.

"I think we should go," she murmured before reluctantly pushing him away.

* * *

"So everything is okay?" Haley asked for the hundredth time as the gang sat in Karen's cafe.

"Haley's everything's fine," Peyton said patiently. "We're doing the implantation next week, and hopefully Brooke and Lucas will have a baby in nine months." Brooke's eyes misted over at the thought of holding her bundle of joy. She knew that Peyton is sacrificing a lot for the sake of her happiness and she was eternally grateful. Peyton saw the tears and laughed.

"Brooke, none of that please. Why don't you save it for when the baby comes," she said. Brooke nodded mutinously and wiped away her tears. When she had calmed down, she looked at Haley and Nathan who had his arm around her and couldn't help but smile. They had never looked happier and she was glad. She thought that if there were two people who truly deserved each other, it was definitely Nathan and Haley. She knew how fiercely Nathan could love someone and she was glad that it was Haley that made him fall in love again.

"Awwww, you guys are so sweet," she gushed suddenly. "So what's going on with you two? Besides the mind blowing sex every night."

"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed as her face turned bright pink.

"What?" Brooke shrugged her shoulders innocently. "You're hot. Nathan's hot. I'm just saying." Everybody laughed at her statement.

"Leave them alone Brooke," Jake said and winked surreptitiously at Nathan.

"I saw that!" Haley said accusingly at Jake, which drew more laughter.

Lucas leaned forward and grinned. "Come on Hales. You know Brooke's just playing. So what is going on with you lately?"

Nathan looked at him conspiratorially and grinned. "Nothing much. You know...just the mind blowing sex every night."

Haley held up her hands in defeat. "Okay, that's it. I'm outta here." She then turned to Nathan and said sweetly, "and you Mr. Hotshot, you can forget about coming over tonight." He pulled her hand and sat her down with a laugh.

"I'm sorry baby. I just love making you blush," he said and kissed her. He looked around and saw that everyone else was busy talking. He turned to her again and said softly, "Hey, I need to talk to you."

The smile on her face faded as soon as she saw the look of concern on his face. "Sure. What's going on?"

"I'm gonna have to go away for a few days," he said.

"Oh? Okay. When? Where are you going?" she asked.

"Tomorrow. Some coaching seminar in Orlando but I'll be back the day after. Lucas is coming with me. Look, I know this is sudden but we just found out today."

"It's fine," she said. "I'll miss you but it's fine. I promise."

"Will you be alright without me?" he asked worriedly.

She laughed and touched his face. "Nathan, I'll be okay. I have been alone before, you know."

He shook his head and edged closer to her. "Well, you're with me now and I think I'm entitled to worry about you." She fell silent at his words. This concept of her boyfriend worrying about her was alien to her, and it felt good.

"By the way, I think it would be a good idea if you stayed over at Brooke's while we're gone. She would love the company," he added.

She smiled at him. "Is it Brooke you're thinking about or are you worried about me being alone in the house?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Ok fine. I don't want you to be alone." He hadn't told her but ever since he picked her up from the community centre, something didn't feel right to him.

"Nathan, I'm a big girl. I'm more than capable of staying by myself for a couple of nights," she protested.

He put a finger on her lips. "Just do it, please. For me," he begged. She saw the intent look he was giving her and knew that he meant every word.

"Okay, if that's what you want."

"Thank you," he said and kissed her hand as relief washed over him.

"Hey, what are you two lovebirds talking about over there?" Jake hollered.

"I bet they're talking about their steamy hot sex," Brooke said and nudged Peyton who instantly choked on the coffee she was drinking.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Haley said mischievously. Nathan looked surprised at her words.

"What?" she asked. "Whatever it takes to get her to shut up," she said, instantly making Nathan laugh out loud.

Brooke waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, it's okay. Anyway, I've heard enough about it when he was going out with Peyton."

"Brooke!" Peyton said with a horrified look. "Haley, don't listen to her." She then threw a dagger look at Brooke. "God I could kill you."

An uncomfortable silence ensued. "Anybody wants more coffee?" Lucas asked to break the silence as Nathan groaned in exasperation at the antics of his friends. He loved them to death but he swore to God sometimes he felt like wringing their necks, and this was one of those times.

* * *

He awoke in the dark and listened to her breathing. He wrapped his tightly around her and felt her snuggle closer. He felt bad about going away tomorrow but he couldn't say no. He felt reluctant to leave her. Not when he couldn't shake the thought that something could happen to her while he was gone.

"Trouble sleeping?" he heard her murmur softly.

"Did I wake you?" he asked and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Kind of," she admitted. She stroked his cheek tenderly, loving the feel of his stubbles sprouting, which she knew would be gone in the morning.

"Sorry, you should go back to sleep."

"No, it's okay. What's keeping you awake?" she asked and switched on the bedside lamp. As soon as the room was bathed in the light, he had to fight the urge to kiss her. She looked so vulnerable with her tousled hair and sleepy eyes.

They laid facing each other. He tucked strands of stray hair behind her ear and kissed her softly.

"Nothing. I think I drank too much coffee today."

"You're a terrible liar," she said. He managed to give her a guilty look. "Is it about tomorrow?"

He closed his eyes and groaned. "Okay you caught me. Hales, I know that you said that you will be fine but I keep having this feeling like something bad was going to happen."

She smiled. God she loved this man. "Nathan Scott, you're going on that plane and you will do what you have to do in Orlando. I will be fine. I promise. Besides, I'll be with Brooke just like you told me to. Now can we please get some sleep?" He let the sound of her voice calm him down.

"No," he said.

"What? Why?" she asked sleepily.

"I have something to do first," he said.

"In the middle of the night? Like what?"

"Like this," he said and began kissing her neck, knowing just the spot to nibble that could turn her on in a matter of seconds. He was rewarded with a moan. The thought of sleeping went out of the window for her. She knew where this night was going and she was not about to complain. Every time they made love, it felt different. At times they were fast and hurried, as if they couldn't wait to be joined as one. Other times they were slow and intimate as they took their time to explore each other's bodies. Until now she didn't know which one she liked best. As the sounds of their panting and moaning filled the room, all thoughts of foreboding left Nathan. The only thing that mattered to him at that moment was him inside of her, where he belonged.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA. I've been looking for ideas for the next chapters. Sorry if this one isn't all that good. I'm not very good with action stuff. Anyway, let me know what you think ok? Cheers!

* * *

**Nathan packed his bag somberly as he thought of his Orlando trip. He knew he was going to be late but he dreaded the trip. It was unlike him to feel this upset about leaving a girlfriend. He was never this way with Rachel, and yet the thought of not being with Haley for even a day filled him with such dread that more than once, he felt like cancelling his trip. But he already committed to going and he didn't want to leave Lucas in a lurch. With a sigh, he threw a pair of pants in his bag.

Just as he was wondering where Haley was, the door opened. The sight made him smile for the first time that day. Haley told him that she was coming over to his apartment to help him pack. Although he spent most of his time at Haley's place, he still had his clothes at his apartment.

"Do you need help?" Haley asked and looked around. She noted with admiration that Nathan was neat for a guy.

"Yes I do, in fact," he said with a smile.

"Great. That's what I'm here for. What do you need help with?"

He walked over to her, still smiling. He placed his palm on her face, caressing it slightly before bringing his lips to hers.

"This," he said and kissed her softly.

"Nathan, you're gonna be late," she said in between kisses, although she didn't push him away.

"I don't care," he murmured.

This time she did push him away, making him groan. "Come on. Lucas is gonna have your ass if you're late. He's gonna be here in about- "She looked at her watch. "Five minutes."

"Ok fine," he said sulkily. "It's just that I hate-"

"To leave me alone," she said and grinned. "I know. And I hate not being with you but you'll be back tomorrow. Maybe this trip is a good thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've been hanging out just the two of us most of the time. Maybe now you can spend time with Lucas and I can hang out with the girls."

He sat on the bed and thought it over and realized that she was probably right. Lucas had been saying that he hadn't seen him often enough.

"Ok, you're probably right," he said resignedly. He looked at her and said, "but promise me you won't be having too much fun without me."

She laughed at his childishness. She went over to him and sat on his lap. "I promise," she said, although she would probably be having a blast, considering it was Brooke she was spending the night with. And she did mention about asking Peyton over too.

He saw her face and laughed. "You're gonna have a good time, aren't you?"

She covered her mouth with her hand and burst out laughing. "You bet I am!"

He hugged her close and breathed in her scent. He buried his face in her hair and kissed her tenderly. "Call me if there's anything okay?"

She touched his face and smiled. "I will. I'll be fine. Now come on! Lucas will be here any second."

And as if on cue, Lucas strolled in the room. He looked at Nathan's still unpacked bag and groaned. "You suck Nate! We're so gonna miss the plane!"

"Hey you know how I am with packing," Nathan said indignantly. It was true. When they were in high school and had to go away for away games, Lucas had always helped him pack.

"Dude, we're not in high school anymore. I'm not packing your bag for you," Lucas said with raised eyebrows as Haley tried to stifle her laughter.

"Wait," Haley said and looked at Nathan incredulously. "Lucas packed for you in high school?"

Nathan looked at Lucas angrily. "Dude! What the hell? That was supposed to be a secret!" He yelled as Haley's laughter grew even louder.

Lucas appeared unfazed. "Whatever little brother. Now get your ass in my car or I'm gonna drag it for you."

Nathan threw a shirt in his bag and zipped it. "Fine, all done. Now will you please let me say goodbye to my girlfriend while you wait in the car?" He then picked up his bag and threw it at Lucas. "And bring this with you, will you?"

Lucas caught it and shook his head. "We're so gonna have fun in Orlando," he muttered sarcastically under his breath as he left them alone.

As soon as Lucas walked away Nathan took Haley's hands and encircled them around his waist, bringing her close.

"I have to go," he said reluctantly.

"Yeah, I know," she said. She saw the worried look in his eyes again. "Hey, stop that. Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine."

He pulled her tighter and groaned. "God, I feel stupid for feeling this way."

She shook her head and smiled. "No, don't be. I find it sexy," she said.

He grinned. "Oh you do, huh?" He bent his head and kissed her. "I'm gonna miss you. I already am missing you."

"I'm gonna miss you too," she murmured against his lips. "I'll see you soon okay? And promise me you'll have fun yourself."

He smiled and said, "ok. Come on. I'll get Lucas to send you home." With that they walked hand in hand to a waiting Lucas. Nathan was comforted with the fact that she would at least be in the company of Brooke while he was away. What she did not tell him was that the phone calls that she was getting was getting more and more frequent.

* * *

Brooke knocked on Haley's door, wondering what took her so long to get ready. To her surprise, Haley didn't look at all ready when she answered the door.

"Haley! You're not dressed yet?" she exclaimed.

Haley looked at her friend warily. "What's the hurry Brooke?"

Brooke threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Peyton and Jake are gonna be at my place any minute and you haven't started making dinner yet."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean me? I thought we were going to do take outs?"

"Oh no we're not. Peyton needs to eat home made meals. She's carrying my baby and I will not have my baby eat take outs," Brooke said.

Haley laughed at her friend's antics. "Okay calm down Brooke. I know you're really worried about the baby and all, but Peyton's gonna be fine. And so is your baby."

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Haley said. She then linked her arm with Brooke's and led her to her bedroom. "Why don't you wait for me here while I get ready and then we'll think of something to make for dinner."

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down on her bed. "Thanks Hales. I'm sorry. I'm just so worried about this baby. Me and Lucas want this baby so bad. Well me mostly. I afraid to imagine what would happen if this doesn't work out for us."

Haley sat down next to her and took her hand. "Like Lucas leaving you?" Brooke didn't answer but her eyes said it all. "Brooke Davis Scott, you have nothing of that sort to worry about, you hear me? Lucas loves you. He will still love you, with or without a baby."

Brooke let out a big sigh. "I know. I just don't want to disappoint him."

"You won't," Haley said. "Ok, sit tight and I'll be ready in a few minutes."

A few minutes took longer than she expected and when she stepped out of the shower, she saw that Brooke had already packed her things for her.

"Brooke! What are you doing?" she asked in surprise.

Brooke stopped rummaging through her drawers and said, "I'm helping you pack. You know Hales, you've got some really nice stuff in your wardrobe. Like this number right here," she said and dangled what looked like a lacey camisole.

"Gimme that!" Haley said and snatched it away from her making Brooke laugh.

"I bet that makes Nathan happy," she said off-handedly. Haley's cheeks flushed with embarrasment. Seeing that Haley was really embarrased, her face fell. "Hey I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy."

Haley shook her head and said, "no it's not that. I'm just...God this is so embarrassing. I'm not good with this kind of stuff," Haley admitted.

"What kind of stuff? Sex?" Brooke asked. Haley nodded. "Oh honey, believe you me you're good. I haven't seen Nathan's face light up this much since like forever." Haley's face fell. "Oh no no no! I'm not saying that Nathan's just in it for the sex. I'm saying...oh you know what? Forget it. Luke's right. I do talk too much. I'm sorry," she said and sat down on the floor where Haley's clothes were strewn from her rummaging.

When Haley still kept quiet she pulled her down next to her. "Haley, do you love Nathan?"

Haley looked at her and said, "I do love him. Do you think he really loves me?"

Brooke's eyes grew wide. "Are you kidding me? That guy is head over heels in love with you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to him. Ever! Why? Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I guess I just wanted to hear it," she said.

"Listen Hales. I do mean what I said. I've never seen Nathan smile this much in a long long time. And you're the reason. And I know that he's the reason you're happy again. You are happy right?"

Haley smiled. "I am happy," she said. Just then her phone rang. She thought it was Nathan and she answered it eagerly. "Nathan? Have you reached Orlando yet?"

"Sorry wrong number," the voice on the other line said before the line went dead.

"Who was that?" Brooke asked.

Haley snapped the phone shut. "Wrong number," she said. "Come on let's get ready and get cooking before Peyton and Jake get here." Brooke shrugged and followed her lead.

* * *

A few hours later the plane landed in Orlando. "We're here!" Lucas announced and patted Nathan's back.

Nathan sighed and unbuckled himself from his seat. He wondered what Haley was doing. Whether she was missing him as much as he was missing her.

"She's fine," Lucas said, as if reading his mind. "Come on let's go get our bags and get to the hotel. I'm beat," he said.

The moment they got into the terminal Nathan flipped out his phone and dialled the number he already knew by heart. "Hales? Hey we've just landed. Are you okay? Is everything okay at home?" He seemed oblivious to the whole world as the only voice he yearned to hear spoke to him. Only when Lucas nudged him did he realize that their taxi was there. "Listen Hales, I have to go. I'll call you tonight before you go to bed ok? I love you baby," he said before putting down the phone. Next to him Lucas could only shook his head. Boy his brother had it bad.

* * *

The day they had to fly back to Tree Hill Nathan finally admitted to Lucas that he actually had fun in Orlando.

"See I told you it would be fun," Lucas said smugly. "And the girls are fine. They've got Jake looking after them. You had absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Okay fine you and Haley both were right," he said. "It was fun although now I can't wait to go back."

Lucas laughed. "Yeah I bet you can't wait to see Haley. Man, I've never seen you this way Nate. Don't get me wrong. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks Luke," he said with a smile. "Haley's the one. I can feel it."

"Yeah I know," Lucas said. "I also know that look on your face when we walked by that jewellary store yesterday."

"What look?" Nathan pretended not to know.

Lucas patted his brother on the back and said. "You know the look that said 'man that ring would really look good on Haley's finger'"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nathan said as he started to pack his bag.

Lucas shook his head and grinned. "Whatever you say Nate. I say we're gonna ou walking down the aisle really soon." Nathan simply laughed at Lucas's remark, although inside he didn't find it humourous at all.

An hour later, all humour was gone when they found out that their flight was going to be delayed due to a storm. "You gotta be kidding me!" Nathan groaned frustratedly. He had already told Haley that they would be home soon and she sounded really excited about it.

"Come on Nate. There's nothing we can do. We'll just have to wait it out," Lucas said calmly although he was looking forward to come home to Brooke. "It's only a couple of hours delayed. We should still be home by midnight."

Nathan nodded and resigned himself to the fact that his reunion with Haley would have to wait.

* * *

Back in Tree Hill a shadow lurked outside Haley's house. He smiled in satisfaction. He had overhead Haley talking to Nathan on the phone and he knew for a fact that he wasn't going to be home so soon. He had a couple of hours to carry out his plan. If he wanted to strike, it had to be now. He waited patiently for Haley to emerge from Brooke's house. After hearing her say goodbye to the brunette she walked to her house and unlocked the door. He waited for her to get in. He then looked around him and seeing that there was nobody around, he made his way to the front door. The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

He knocked on the door and waited for her to open it. She did and the look of surprise and fear on her face made him smile. "Hello Haley," he said.

"Joe," she said in horror. Before she could scream for help, he had his hand on her mouth.

"Scream and this knife will taste blood," he said and hovered a knife in front of her face. Satisfied that she was not going to scream he shut the door behind him. She trembled in fear as he dragged her to the couch before pushing her roughly. She grimaced in pain although she didn't make a sound.

"What do you want Joe?" she said in trembling voice.

"You know what it is I've always wanted," he said leeringly as he leaned over her. She crouched down in fear.

"Joe don't do this."

"Why not? Nobody can hear us and your boy Nathan won't be home for a couple of hours."

"How do you know about Nathan?" she asked.

He laughed at her mockingly. "You think I've only been to this stupid town today? I've been here longer than you think. Watching you. Who do you think made those phone calls?"

She closed her eyes. So her instinct was right. In her fear, she silently berated herself. She should have stayed at Brooke's until the boys came back. Knowing that Joe was right, that Nathan won't be home so soon, she stalled for time.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

He grinned. "Doesn't really matter. You were not that hard to track down anyway." He suddenly seemed impatient. "Enough talk. Let's get down to business," he said.

Haley eyed the door and thought about making a mad dash for it. She quickly pushed her way out and ran. But she was not quick enough for Joe who quickly grabbed her hand roughly.

"That wasn't very smart," he said angrily. "Looks like we're gonna have to tie you up, you bitch." He then pulled out a rope from his jeans, but not before tying her mouth with a piece of cloth. "Come here!" he said and pulled her along to the kitchen chair and started to tie her up.

When he saw that she had nowhere to go, he knelt down on the floor before her and trailed his hand on her leg. She wriggled in protest. Try as she might to scream, all that came out from her mouth were muffled sounds.

"You think you're so smart, running away from LA. Remember what I told you at Steve's funeral? That I would find you? You remember Steve don't you? My friend whom you murdered."

He appeared to not have tied her mouth with the cloth snugly as it started to slide down her face. "He deserved it. After what he did to me." A sharp slap flew to her face as soon as she said it.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"You know what Joe?" Haley said. She didn't know where she got her courage from but she started to speak. "Steve wasn't always like that. He only became like that when he met you. This was all your fault. You made him that way. You were the one who killed him."

"I said shut up!" he screamed and landed another blow on her face, totally knocking her out.

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the plane landed in Tree Hill. "Oh thank God we're here," he said. The first thing he did was to call Haley. His face took on a puzzled look when she didn't pick up her phone. "That's weird," he said. He turned to his brother who was obviously calling Brooke. "Hey, you talking to Brooke?" he asked. Lucas nodded. "Hey ask her if Haley's with her?"

"No man, Brooke said she left an hour ago," Lucas said.

"Something's not right," Nathan muttered. He then called the person he trusted most with his life. "Dad? Could you do me a favour? Could you check on Haley? She's not answering her phone."

Dan frowned. "She's probably sleeping Nate," he said.

"Yeah probably. But she's a light sleeper. She would have heard the phone ring. Something's not right dad. I can feel it."

Dan heard the panic in his son's voice and knew that he wasn't kidding around. "Okay hang on. I'm going over to her place now. You get back home as soon as you can you hear me?"

"You got it," Nathan said and got into the first taxi he saw.

As soon as she opened her eyes she could feel her head throbbing. She also tasted blood on her bottom lip.

"Wake up sleepy head," Joe said mockingly. He played with the knife in his hand while circling the chair.

"Please don't kill me," she begged.

"Kill you? Nah, you're no good to me dead. Well at least until I get what I want," he said. With a flick of the knife, he sent the first button on her blouse flying, exposing her skin.

She could only watch in horror as he started to make his way down her blouse. "No, Joe please don't."

"Funny, was that how Steve begged for his life before you ended it?" She closed her eyes when he finished off her last button, leaving her blouse open, exposing her bra.

"Stop it!" she yelled. "Please stop it!" She felt hot tears flowing down her cheeks as she saw him bringing his face closer, licking those tears as they trickled down. _Nathan, where are you?_

Nathan, Lucas and Dan arrived in front of Haley's house at almost the same time. They saw the lights were on but no sound came from the house. Nathan started to rush forward, but not before Dan stopped him.

"Nathan, if there was somebody else in the house with her, we need to be quiet. And I've already called the police. They'll be here soon." He motioned for his two sons to hide behind a tree outside the house.

"Screw the police dad! Haley's in there! And you just told me justnow that this Joe freak might be stalking her!" Nathan yelled in frustration.

Lucas put a hand on his arm. "Dad's right Nate. We should wait for the police."

"Where's Brooke?" Dan asked.

"She's in the house. I told her not to come out until we're sure Haley's alright," Lucas said.

"Well, I'm not going to wait to find out," Nathan said angrily and stormed towards Haley's house. He opened the door and his worst fear came true. The sight of Haley being tied up in the chair filled him with horror.

"Well, well, if it isn't your new boytoy Haley," Joe said.

"Don't touch her," Nathan said angrily. "If you as much as lay a finger on her, I swear to God-"

"What are you gonna do?" Joe said and put his knife on her throat. "Come closer and your precious Haley dies."

That made him stop in his track. "Hales, the police are gonna be here soon ok?" he said calmly, betraying the wild hammering of his heart. He took a step closer as his mind tried to find a way to outmanouver Joe.

Outside the house Lucas said to Dan, "Dad, we should go in there. Nathan could be in trouble."

Dan was starting to feel that way to. He took out his gun and motioned for Lucas to follow him. "Come on."

"Nathan, help," Haley sobbed. Her relief mixed with panic when she saw Nathan walk through the door. She knew what Joe was capable of doing.

"Yeah Nathan, why don't you help her so I can kill you too in the process? If not you can watch me have a taste of Haley James. I'm sure you'd enjoy the show."

"You son of a bitch!" he yelled and lunged towards him. His action took Joe by surprise who managed to swerve to the side. Haley watched in horror as they fought. Before she knew it Joe had grabbed Nathan's shirt and had plunged the knife in him.

"No!!" Haley screamed. "No! Nathan!" She struggled in her chair as she watched Nathan fall down, blood trickling down the front of his shirt.

"That's what he got for being stupid," Joe said and kicked Nathan's crumpled body.

"And this is what you get for messing with me and my family," Dan said as a shot rang through the air. Joe looked surprised as the bullet hit him straight through the heart. It took him a mere second to fall down. He gasped as he felt his life ebbing away. A few seconds later he was dead.

"Haley, are you okay?" Dan asked and started untying the rope that bound her.

She nodded. "Nathan," she sobbed. She crawled towards his crumpled body. She saw him open his eyes and heard him groan in pain. She cradled him in her arms as she sobbed. "Nathan, hang in there okay? Just hang in there."

The next few minutes passed by in a daze for her as she saw the police and the paramedics rush into her house. "Miss, you're gonna have to let go. We need to check on him." She reluctantly let the paramedics took Nathan as Lucas wrapped a blanket around her.

"He's gonna be okay Hales. Come on, let's get you to the hospital too."

"I want to ride in the ambulance with him," she said as tears streamed down her face. "Please," she said as she looked Lucas imploringly. He could only nod in acquiscence and led her to the door.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi guys! New chapter is up! Hope you guys like it. Let me know if you do (or don't) :)

* * *

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Chapter 23

She sat by his bed in silence with not a muscle moving. She ignored the tears that had flowed in steady streams and let it fall. The sound of the hospital machines was all that filled the silence.

"Please be okay baby. Please be okay," she prayed silently. She finally moved closer and took his limp hand which still had some traces of blood on it. "God what have I done?" She could hear her head screaming. She had been so stupid as to fall in love again. She thought that she could finally be happy. Who was she kidding? She could never be happy. She knew that now. Her life was filled with misery and what was worse, she had spread that misery to the people that she loved.

She heard the sounds of footsteps and quickly wiped the tears away. She looked up and saw the strained faces of Dan and Lucas. She started to get up when the doctor came in. Before any of them could say anything, the doctor said, "Nathan will be fine. The blade barely missed any of his vital organs. He had a really deep cut and lost quite a lot of blood but like I said, he'll be fine. I've put him on sedatives so he wouldn't be in so much pain and so that he could sleep, but he should wake up in a few hours."

The moment Haley heard the doctor said that Nathan was going to be fine, she sank back into her chair and wept. Lucas came over to him and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay," he said comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," she said to Lucas. By that time the doctor had left which left only her and Lucas and Dan. She stood up and said to Dan," I'm so sorry Mr. Scott. I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry."

"Hey stop it," Dan said. "This wasn't your fault. There is nothing for you to be sorry about."

"Karen?" she asked.

"She's outside with the girls and Jake. She's okay. Just a little shaken up. But my Karen is a strong woman. She knows that Nathan is going to make it through. And she doesn't blame you for any of this too. Trust me."

As if right on cue, Karen came in. The moment she saw Haley, she rushed to her and enveloped her in a hug. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No, just little scratches here and there but I'm okay. Karen-"

"Don't even think about it. This is not your fault," she said, echoing Dan. "Listen, why don't we go get you something to eat? Or maybe a hot cup of coffee? Better yet why don't we get you home?" Karen said softly as her gaze fell on Haley's blood stained blouse.

Haley managed to muster a small smile. "No, I'm fine. If you don't mind I'd like to stay with Nathan."

Karen stroked Haley's arm comfortingly. "I'll stay with you and keep you company," she said.

Something about the way Karen spoke to her reminded her of her own mother. With a rush of gratitude and something akin to love, she threw her arms around the older woman.

"Thank you Karen," she said as another tear fell down her cheek.

She hugged her back without saying anything. Lucas and Dan watching the exchange quietly slipped out of the room.

* * *

"He's gonna be fine right?" Peyton asked worriedly as her hand stroked her bulging stomach. By this time she was already eight months along and she was going bigger everyday.

"He's gonna be fine," Brooke said confidently. "He's a tough guy."

"What about Haley? Do you think she'll be okay?" Peyton asked as she waited for her coffee cup to be filled at the vending machine.

Brooke didn't immediately answer her. She knew how fragile Haley was but she also knew that beneath that fragility, there was also strength.

"I hope so," she said. "What about you? How are you feeling? How's the baby?" She then noticed that Peyton had gone pale.

"Peyton are you okay?"

Peyton looked at her with a horrified look. "I think my water just broke!" A sharp stab of pain coursed through her making her scream. "Brooke, I'm having your baby!"

"What? Now? But you're not due for another two months!" Brooke yelled in panic. "Jake! Lucas! Somebody help! Hang on Peyton. Just hang on!"

Before she knew it Jake and Lucas were already by their side. "What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"Her water broke. We need to get her a doctor. Geez P Sawyer you sure picked the right place to go into labour," Brooke said in an attempt to calm Peyton down.

Peyton managed to laugh. Before long a doctor and a few nurses were already helping her up on the gurney.

"How far along are you?" the doctor asked.

"Eight months. Please let the baby be okay," Peyton pleaded. She felt Jake's hand squeezing hers as they wheeled her into the delivery room.

"We only allow the parents to go into the delivery room," the doctor said apologetically.

Peyton looked at the doctor and said, "It's okay. They are all the parents."

Brooke felt tears forming in her eyes as she saw the sacrifice that her friend was making in making her own dreams come true. Next to her she heard Lucas say, "Peyton are you sure?"

"I'm sure. You're the baby's daddy. I want you to be here." Another contraction made her scream out loud. "Brooke I can kill you for this!"

The doctor made them all change into surgical clothes which they did in a hurry.

"How are you feeling baby?" Jake asked worriedly as he clutched her hand.

"How do you think I'm doing?" Peyton said with gritted teeth. She was already sweating from all the exertion. She felt the doctor doing some check up before hearing him say, "well you're ready to push."

"Oh my God!" Brooke screamed.

"Brooke shut up!" Peyton screamed back.

"Okay Peyton, push!" the doctor coached her. She pushed with all her might. Another scream came out of her mouth.

"One more time Peyton. One big push. Come on."

"Come on baby. You can do it," Jake said. Seeing her in such pain was agonizing.

She pushed one more time. "Okay, Peyton I can see the head. One more time. Push!" the doctor said.

She groaned and gave it another push. "Aaarrgghhhh!" Just then her scream was replaced by the sound of a baby crying.

"Congratulations. It's a girl," the doctor said with a big smile before handing the baby over to the nurse to clean up. "Erm…who are the parents again?" he asked.

Peyton smiled as she held Jake's hand. "They are," she said indicating Brooke and Lucas. "Congratulations Mom and Dad."

Brooke broke down and cried. She looked at Lucas and saw that his cheeks were wet with tears too. "Thank you so much P. Sawyer." She then looked at Jake. "Thank you Jake for letting her do this for us." Jake nodded and smiled proudly at Peyton.

"That's my girl," he said before leaning down to give her a kiss.

Tears kept flowing down Brooke's face when the nurse handed the baby to her. "Oh my God, she's beautiful," she said as Lucas came to stand beside her, his face totally in awe of the baby's sleeping face.

"She looks just like you," he said, his voice croaking with emotion. "I love you so much, both of you." He turned to Peyton, who looked exhausted but smiling all the same.

"Thank you Peyton," he said gratefully.

Peyton too had tears flowing down her face. "You guys would have done the same thing for me if I had asked," she said.

* * *

Haley wrung her hand anxiously as she waited for Nathan to wake up. Only a few minutes before she had heard that Peyton was in labour. She wanted so much to be with Peyton to lend her support but she couldn't bear to leave Nathan's side. She prayed with all her might that she and the baby was going to be okay. Her prayer was answered when a smiling Karen went up to her.

"It's a girl," she said beaming proudly. "I'm a grandma."

Haley hugged her. "Congratulations Karen. How's Peyton? And Brooke and Lucas?"

"They're all fine. Peyton's a little tired. Do you want to see her?" Karen asked. She saw the hesitation in Haley's eyes and said, "it's okay. You heard what the doctor said. Nathan's fine. Now go and see your friends."

* * *

Haley reluctantly made her way along the hospital corridor to where Karen said Peyton was. She stopped when she came to outside her room, afraid of what her friends would think of her for bringing Nathan into her mess. A part of her wanted to flee and she was about to do that when a hand touched her shoulder. She turned around and saw Brooke.

"Hey," Brooke said gently. "You're here to see Peyton? Come on in," she said. When Haley didn't move she said, "hey are you okay?"

She saw Brooke's concerned face and tears immediately fell down her cheeks. She looked over her shoulder to where Nathan's room was and her heart ached with all the pain that she had caused him. She shook her head and Brooke immediately gathered her into her arms.

"Oh honey. It's okay. Do you wanna go somewhere?"

"No I'm fine. I just wanted to see Peyton and the baby."

"What are you doing standing in the doorway for?"

"I'm…I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Brooke asked in confusion.

"They must hate me," she said in a small voice.

"Why would they do that?"

"Because I brought all this on Nathan."

"Haley don't," Brooke said. "Don't blame this on yourself."

"But I am to blame Brooke!" she exclaimed. "I told myself when I moved here that all I wanted to do was move on from my past. Not to be close to be anybody. And never fall in love. And then Nathan came along and he…he thought me to love again. A part of me knew that I can never run away from my past, that nothing good would come out of it but I fell in love with him. And I love him so much that all I can think about right now and is to leave town and leave him alone and pretend that all this never happened."

"Are you serious? You want to leave?" Brooke asked in bewilderment.

"I don't think I can stay Brooke. Not after all this. I can't look Nathan in the eye knowing that him being with me led to this."

"You can't leave Haley. Nathan needs you."

"And I need him. I can't imagine life without him but-"

"There is no but. Listen to me Haley. What happened wasn't your fault. You took a giant leap of faith and-"

"And look where it got me Brooke. Nathan is lying in a hospital bed because of me."

"Haley you're hurt and you're tired. Maybe you should go home and get some rest. I"ll come with you."

Haley put a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "Brooke, you and Lucas just had a baby. You should be in that room with your family."

"Haley, listen to me. You have become my family too. Come on, come see my baby and we'll talk some more later ok?"

It took a while before she nodded her head and walked in the room. She immediately saw that her fears were unfounded as she looked at the faces of Lucas, Peyton and Jake beaming at her.

Brooke watched her worriedly. Did she mean it when she said she wanted to leave? How could she leave with Nathan in the hospital? She shook her head. No, she wouldn't leave. She couldn't.

* * *

She was exhausted. She had seen Brooke's baby and tried very hard not to cry as she held the baby girl in her arms. In her mind she saw that this was what her life and Nathan could be like. She was back in Nathan's room by his side and watched him sleep. She stroked his hand soothingly before leaning down to kiss it. She rested her head on the bed and fell asleep soon after.

She felt the bed move and opened her eyes and was greeted by a smiling, yet groggy Nathan.

"Hey you," he said in hoarse voice.

"Oh my God Nathan you're awake. I should get your parents," Haley said and started to get up.

"No wait. Not yet. Stay with me please."

She sat down again and took his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore. How are you?" he asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." As soon as she said those words tears started streaming down her face.

"Hey it's okay. I'm okay," Nathan asked and wiped the tears from her face.

"I love you so much," she said, choking back on her tears.

"I love you too Hales."

"Nathan I'm so sorry I brought you into all this. I shouldn't have come here."

"To the hospital?" Nathan asked in confusion.

"No. To Tree Hill."

"Haley stop it." He winced as he tried to get up. Haley's words brought him waves of panic.

"Nathan stop moving. The doctor said that you lost a lot of blood. You need to lie down. I'm gonna call Karen and Dan."

"Haley wait," he said. But before he could stop her she was already gone.

* * *

She knew that what she was doing was wrong but she already made up her mind. She knew that she shouldn't have left the hospital without saying goodbye to Nathan. But she also knew that saying goodbye would make it even harder. It was already morning by the time she reached Brooke's home. She had given her a key so she could let herself in. Her clothes were still in her house but she didn't want to go back there and see the blood stain on her bed. Besides the place was cordoned off with a police tape.

She took a shower, wincing when she touched her bruises. She knew that Joe was dead but she couldn't help but double locking the front door. She felt better after the shower. It was already morning by then and she had made the arrangements.

She got ready and not long after that she heard a car pull over outside the houseShe opened the door and stepped outside. She wiped the tears from her face. She didn't know yet where she was going but she knew she couldn't stay. With a heavy heart she stepped into the waiting taxi who was taking her to the airport and out of Tree Hill.


	24. Chapter 24

**Wow it's been a long time huh LOL. I wish I had more time to upload as often as I would have liked, but unfortunately I don't. But I did manage to find some time to update this. I hope you guys will enjoy it. xoxo**

Chapter 24

She could see white clouds in the sky as she looked out the bus window. She could have sworn that at times that the clouds took the shape of Nathan. Her mind was playing tricks on her, she tried to convince herself. She missed him, no doubt, but she had made the decision to leave. It was the hardest decision that she had ever made but it had to be done.

She looked at her watch and noticed with apprehension that in twenty minutes she would finally reach her destination. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself.

"You're looking nervous," a lady sitting next to her commented.

She shook her head and smiled. "Yeah you can say that."

"Are you visiting someone in Northridge?" the lady asked with a smile.

She shook her head. She looked out the window and with a voice that was barely a whisper said, "No, I'm coming home."

* * *

"Hales?" Nathan said groggily as he opened his eyes. He felt a hand touch his. He turned his face and saw that it was Dan. "Dad," he said.

"Hey son. It's okay. You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna go get the doctor and your mom okay?" Dan said. The relief that Nathan was awake was evident on his face.

Nathan reached out to touch his arm. "Dad, where's Haley? Is she okay?"

"Yeah she is. I'll go get the doctor," Dan said and exited the room before Nathan could question him further.

He knew something was wrong as soon as he asked Dan about Haley. He felt panic rising. He saw that his phone was on the table next to him and dialed. To his disappointment all he got was a voicemail.

Before he had the chance to ponder, the doctor and Karen entered the room. Karen immediately rushed to his bedside and gave him a kiss.

"Oh my God you're okay. You're gonna be okay," she said, her voice filled with relief. "He's okay isn't he doctor?" She looked to the doctor for confirmation.

The doctor examined Nathan for a couple of minutes before declaring that he was indeed okay. "Everything looks good. Your vitals look good. Looks like you could be discharged as early as tomorrow. Although you have to take care of that wound and keep it clean every day. Do you feel any pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Nathan said with a wry smile.

"Brave man. I like that," the doctor said with a twinkle in his eye. "Be that as it may, I will prescribe you some painkillers just in case you need them okay?"

Nathan nodded. All he wanted at that moment was for the doctor to leave so he could ask his parents about Haley. Something was not right. He could feel it. But then again maybe the doctor knew what was going on.

"Doc, is my girlfriend okay? Haley James?" he asked.

The unsuspecting doctor said with a smile. "Yeah she's fine. She had a few cuts and bruises but other than that she's okay. Why don't you get some rest and I'll get the nurse to check in on you in an hour."

As soon as the doctor left Nathan turned his attention to his parents. "Mom, where's Haley?"

Dan gave Karen a warning look. With what she hoped was a straight face she said, "she's resting at home. She's been here all night and I told her to go home and get some rest. Which is exactly what you should do too Nathan."

Nathan knew how Karen would fuss over him when he was not well. She had been doing that all of his life. And while he was grateful that he had a mom who loved him, all he wanted at that moment was to see Haley. But he knew better than to not listen to Karen.

"Ok I'll rest. But could you tell Haley that I'm okay?"

"We will son," Dan said. He watched as Nathan closed his eyes and nudged for Karen to follow him outside.

"Dan we need to tell her about Haley," Karen said.

"And have him jump out of his bed and go running after her. Karen he's still weak. He needs to stay here, at least until the doctor says that it's okay for him to come home. And then we'll tell him."

"Tell me what Dad?" Nathan's voice made them both jump. They turned to see that he was already out of his bed and had apparently heard every word. "Tell me what Dad?" he repeated.

* * *

The bus finally came to a halt. She waited for her turn to get down and when she did she made her way slowly to the baggage compartment. She wasn't expecting anybody to wait for her. Nobody knew that she was back and she would like for it to stay that way. She had made some calls in Tree Hill on the way to the airport as soon as she figured out where she was heading. She had managed to secure a reservation at a motel in town. She knew that she had to come home to Northridge. Lucky for her the there were still seats on the flight to LAX. From LAX she bought a bus ticket to Northridge. All of a sudden she felt tired. All she wanted to do was to check in and sleep.

She scanned her surrounding and saw that nothing much had changed. Despite all that, she didn't feel like she was actually coming home. In fact Tree Hill felt more like home than this place where she grew up. She missed Tree Hill. She missed her friends. Most of all she missed Nathan. With a heavy heart she picked up her bags and hailed a cab to take her to the motel. She still had her parents house but she wasn't ready to go there yet. She easily got a cab and quickly got in. She didn't want anyone to recognize her. She wasn't ready for that either. After telling the cab driver where to go, she sat back and leaned her head against the window. She saw the cafe where she used to hang out with her friends after school. She saw her school where she met Steve and suddenly all the memories came flooding back. She shook her head as if to shoo her away. She must have looked weird doing it because the cab driver looked at her through the rearview mirror and asked, "are you okay miss?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, although she was far from it. She took out her phone from her bag and switched it on. She saw that she had almost twenty messages and she knew that those messages could only come from one person. She pressed a button and steeled herself for the voice that was to come.

"Hey Hales. I'm up but the doctor said I have to stay at the hospital for a couple more days. Dad said you've gone home to shower. Will you come back? I miss you. I love you." She felt tears stinging her eyes. He sounded tired but he was awake. That was all that mattered.

She was relieved when the cab came to a halt in front of her motel. She didn't want the cab driver to ask again if she was okay. She paid and thanked him and checked in. She scanned the room as soon as she walked in, and after deciding that it was livable she unpacked. When she was done she sat on her bed and took out her phone again. She still had nineteen messages from Nathan. She pressed a button to listen to the latest message and pressed the phone close to her ear.

"Hales, where are you? Dad said that you left Tree Hill. I didn't believe him. You couldn't. Please pick up the phone baby. Please," she heard a pause before it continued. "Baby, I know what happened must be difficult for you but we can face this together. Please come back. I need you Hales. I love you so-" and then the beep indicating that he had exceeded the time limit sounded.

She swallowed a sob and hugged her knees. She wanted to call him so bad. She made a decision and dialed his number. He picked it up on the first ring. "Hales?"

"Hi Nathan-"

He cut her off. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Listen," she said and brushed off her tears. "I'm sorry I wasn't at the hospital and I didn't say goodbye. I wanted to but it would have been more difficult. It's easier this way," she said.

"There is nothing easy about this Hales," Nathan said. "I woke up to find that you were gone with no explanation and you thought that it was easier this way. How? How was it easier? Don't run away Hales. Not from me. Not from us. After everything we've been through together."

"Nathan, I can't explain myself right now but you have to know that I want to be with you more than anything-"

"Then be with me!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. "Baby I'm begging you. Please come home."

'I can't," she said. This was harder than she thought. "I have to go. I'm sorry."

Before she could hang up he said, "Hales wait. I love you. You know that, right?"

She closed her eyes and said, "How could you still love me after everything I put you through?" She didn't even give him a chance to reply and hung up before switching off her phone. She then curled into a ball and sobbed until she fell asleep in exhaustion.

He stared at the phone and all he felt was anger. He wanted to throw the phone against the wall but restrained himself. He was angry at Steve for making Haley stop believing in love. He was angry at Joe for hurting her the way he did a few days ago. He had to find her if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

She opened her eyes and sat up. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was. She looked around her room and her memory came back. She was back home. Her stomach made a sound indicating that she was hungry. She didn't have anything to eat since last night. She took a shower and grabbed her bag. The first she had to do was find a car to rent. She had called the reception and was told that they had a few cars available. A knock came on the door just as she was about to open it. The door didn't have peep hole that she could look through.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me." She gasped and leaned against the door. It couldn't be.

"Hales, open the door."

She could recognize that voice anywhere. "What are you doing here Nathan? How did you find me?"

"Just open the damn door Hales," he said. She thought for a second before opening it cautiously.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked with a tremor in his voice. He felt a surge of relief as soon as he saw her face.

"I'm okay. What are you doing here? You can't be here." Before she could get an answer he had gathered her in his arms.

"Don't you ever leave me like that again? Do you hear me?" She couldn't answer him. This felt like a dream. "Are you sure you're okay? The doctor said that you've got a few bumps and bruises."

She pushed him away. "Nathan, stop it. I told you you can't be here."

"And I told you that I was never going to leave you. Whatever you're facing, we're going to face it together."

"But I don't want you to!" she cried vehemently. "You shouldn't have come," she said. "How did you find me?"

"Dad told me where you were." He saw the look on her face. "Don't blame him. He was just looking out for you. He loved you like a daughter you know."

She did know and she didn't blame him for telling Nathan where she was. She knew that he would but she thought that it would take him longer to spill her secret. She thought that she could buy some time before facing Nathan.

"Are you going to let me in?" he asked.

"I was going out actually," she said and closed the door.

"Then I'll go with you," Nathan said.

"Nathan-" Before she could answer he had cupped her face and kissed her. For a moment she was lost in that kiss. Then she remembered why she left Tree Hill and pushed him away gently.

Nathan gave her a questioning look. "All I could think about in that hospital was you. I wondered if you were okay. I wondered why you left. I wondered if you still loved me and if you did, how could you have left."

"I can't do this right now Nathan."

"I understand that you're scared. I just need you to know that whatever happens I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere." He said it with such conviction and she believed him.

She shook her head and said, "I can't talk about this. Not now."

"Can we at least have breakfast then? Please," he said. "Have breakfast with me."

It didn't take long for them to reach a diner. She didn't to go somewhere in the middle of town. She didn't want anyone to know she was back. They managed to find one not too far from town. They ate in silence. After convincing her that he was not going away, she agreed to have breakfast in town with him. She had picked up the car and drove in silence, aware that he had his eyes on her the whole time.

"How did you get here so fast?" she asked as she pushed her food around the plate.

"I took the first flight out." He was studying her face the entire time.

"Are you in any pain?" she asked. She had noticed that he had winced a few times when he picked up his fork.

"A little but the doctor gave me some painkillers to tide me over."

She put her fork down and hung her head. "I'm sorry Nathan," she said in a small voice. She didn' t let him answer. "I'm so sorry that I got you hurt. Joe wanted to hurt me and if you hadn't come, you wouldn't be-" She suddenly felt unable to continue. "I need to get some air," she said and got up and left.

He looked bewildered and after putting some cash on the table at the diner he followed her.

He found her in the car wiping her tears away. He got in next to her and said nothing. All he wanted to do was to put his arms around her, wipe her tears away and tell her that everything was going to be alright. But he sat there until she calmed down somewhat.

"Come on, I'll drive us back to the motel." She shook her head but he wouldn't take no as an answer. "Haley, give me the key," he said firmly. She looked at him but decided against protesting and handed him the key. They switched places and he drove in silence, which was fine by her. She couldn't think of a word to say to him. They reached the motel and he walked her to the door. She turned the key and didn't say a word when he walked in behind her.

As soon as she closed the door, he touched her arm, making her face him. "Haley, we really need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. You shouldn't be here. I'm not going back to Tree Hill but you should. Today," she said firmly, although there was a quiver in her voice.

"No, I'm not going back. Not without you," he said. "Hales, at the diner you apologized because I was hurt in the attack, but Hales, I would do it again if I had to. No question about it."

"You're missing the point Nathan. I'm not asking you to!"

"No, you're the one who's missing the point. I love you Hales. So much that it hurts. And I'll be damned if I was just going to stand by and watch anybody hurt you."

She believed every single word he said but she couldn't allow that to happen. She'd put him through enough. She knew that she had to be firm with him if she wanted him to leave. She took a few steps back and ran her fingers through her hair. She took a deep breath before saying, "Nathan I love you. I want you to know that. But you can't be with me. Bad things happen to people around me and I'm not gonna allow that to happen anymore. You have to leave. Please."

He shook his head and took a few steps forward until he reached her. He then placed his hands on her face and said tenderly, "Haley, I'm not leaving without you. You can tell me a hundred times a day to go back to Tree Hill but I'm not going anywhere. I know you're scared but I'm here. I'm right here baby. Don't let this come between us. Don't let Joe win. Not this time." As he said those words he could feel his eyes stinging. He couldn't lose her. He lowered his head and kissed her tenderly. He didn't want to push her. She seemed hesitant at first but God she missed his touch.

"I missed you," he said, voicing her own thoughts and pulled her close. She didn't have the strength to push him away. She hated to admit it but she needed him, for today at least.


End file.
